Begin Again
by slightlysmall
Summary: Molly Weasley, the Minister's daughter, has enjoyed her life in the spotlight, until her very public relationship and breakup with Lysander Scamander. Eight months later, rumor has it that Lysander is getting married and Molly doesn't know what to do. When she runs into an old friend, she might just be ready to try loving again. But everything seems out to keep them apart.
1. Prologue - On a Wednesday in a Cafe

For the song-fic boot camp with the prompt **"Better**" and the song "Begin Again" by Taylor Swift. For the original character boot camp with the prompt "**Horizon.**" For the uncommon pairings multichapter competition. For the Next Gen OC Challenge.

I am not JKR or Taylor Swift and don't own the song or the canon characters.

A million thanks to my Beta, keeptheotherone. This story wouldn't be what it is without her.

One more quick note: The article here (and elsewhere when I use an article) will be written in British English, as it would have been written. Feel free to Britpick the articles. The rest of the story (for my American sanity) will be in American English.

* * *

_I've been spending the last eight months  
__Thinking all love ever does  
__Is break, and burn, and end.  
__But on a Wednesday, in a cafe, I watched it begin again.  
_–Taylor Swift, Begin Again

* * *

**Kaelyn Finnigan Spotted Wearing Large Diamond Ring**

_Seen yesterday at _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_ in Diagon Alley, Kaelyn Finnigan's always-stellar outfits were complemented by a large diamond ring on her left hand. There is no official confirmation of Ms Finnigan's engagement to Lysander Scamander, lead singer of rock band _Wizards and Wrackspurts_, but a source did spot the two out to dinner last night at London's posh wizarding restaurant, _Lumos_. Neither Ms Finnigan nor Mr Scamander responded to the owls sent to them in the wake of this excitement._

_The "It Couple" has been in a public relationship for about eight months, but sources say the two had romantic ties while still at Hogwarts. An attempt was made to contact Mr Scamander's ex-girlfriend, Molly Weasley, daughter of Minister for Magic, Percy Weasley, for comment, but we have not received a response._

_Get your quills and parchment ready! Upon confirmation of Ms Finnigan and Mr Scamander's engagement, the official betting will begin for wedding dates, colours, etc. Mr George Weasley has kindly agreed to organise this. _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_ will host the betting at both their Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade locations._

– Parvati Patil, senior correspondent to _Witch Weekly_

* * *

Molly Weasley slammed the cover of _Witch Weekly_ shut, the force of it shaking the bar at the Leaky Cauldron and knocking over Roxanne's butterbeer. "Sorry Roxanne, Mrs. Longbottom," Molly mumbled as the bartender magicked away the mess and Summoned a pitcher to refill Roxanne's drink.

Without a further look at her cousin, who had forced her out of their shared flat for the first time in weeks, Molly began to gather her things. She hadn't made it very far before Roxanne turned and caught her arm - while normally she was proud to cheer Roxanne on as a professional Chaser, Roxie's reflexes weren't particularly welcome at this point. "Molly, you can't run away from them forever, you know. All of us are famous. They won't stop following Lysander and Kaelyn around, and if your dad stays Minister, you're bound to be in the spotlight again soon, too. Just grow up and face the world. Have a butterbeer with your favorite cousin. If you try and disappear, it won't matter; Parvati, Rita, _someone_ will catch up with you."

Molly sighed, regretting the pleading look on Roxanne's face, but she wasn't ready yet. Eight months wasn't long enough to get over her electric romance with her childhood best friend. She wasn't sure there was a length of time long enough to get over Lysander. "Wanna bet? I'm sure I can avoid them at least a little longer." She yanked her arm free of Roxie's grasp and walked out of the Leaky Cauldron, Disapparating right before the threshold.

She didn't go far; just to an alley in Soho near her favorite Muggle cafe, Flat White. Dusting herself off and getting over the wave of nausea, she walked in and ordered a mocha, glad she remembered to carry Muggle money on her. Drink in hand, she picked up a Muggle newspaper and sat down to read. Time passed and she was left in relative obscurity, no one second-guessing her presence or her slightly out-of-place clothing choices. Molly hadn't felt this much peace in a long time.

Lost in her reading, she barely noticed as footsteps approached her table until they were nearly there. She sighed, upset that someone managed to find her, but she kept her head down, pretending not to notice, even as he began to speak. "Molly? What are you doing here?"

She looked up from her coffee, which she had been absentmindedly stirring, and completely ignored the question. "Daniel? I haven't seen you in years! How have you been?"

He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. Molly studied him. It had been six years since she'd seen him, the day they graduated from Hogwarts. Time hadn't done much to change him. He was still slight, without the muscle definition of his father, or the speed inherent in the muscles of his mother. Plain looking, but exuding kindness, he smiled at her. "I'm doing well, Molly. But what are you doing here? I didn't think-" A pause. "_this kind_ of cafe was your style."

Molly smiled at his overemphasis. And he was right after all. But what was she supposed to say? That she was tired of seeing posters for _Wizards and Wrackspurts_ everywhere, or the cover of _Witch Weekly_? Daniel was sure to think, like the rest of the world, that eight months was too long to care still. "I just felt like a cup of coffee and a crowd of people who didn't know anything about me. But that hasn't really worked out, has it?"

"If you want me to leave..."

"It's fine, Daniel. Really, it's a pleasant surprise. It's not like you're Rita Skeeter or something," she said, smiling.

"I sure hope you don't lump me into the same category as her. That article she wrote about you last winter... it made me sick."

She swallowed. "So, what have you been up to? I'm surprised I don't see you around much. I felt like you were always there when we were kids."

"I got a job at Gringotts out of school. Been working a lot, traveling some. I've enjoyed it."

"What happened with you and Bailey?"

"She moved to Spain. It wasn't going to work out, anyway, though. Really, I'm better for it."

"Yeah, well..." Molly looked down again, stirring her coffee.

"I wish I had something to ask you, Mol."

"What do you mean?"

His look was apologetic. "You could ask me about my job and my love life and what I'm up to, but I've always known, with you."

"You read that crap?"

"Unfortunately. It was the only way I had to..."

"To what?"

"To keep up with you. I was sorry we lost contact."

Molly wasn't sure what to say. In all honesty, she had barely thought of Daniel Wood at all since graduation, but their fathers had been friends in school, and they had spent some time together over the summer holidays. Talking to him now, she was surprised she hadn't wondered more about him. He'd always been a great friend. "Yeah, me too."

"Molly, I'm sorry if this is too forward, or too soon for you, but do you want to go out sometime?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I know how much you loved Lysander."

"No - I don't want to talk about that. I was just caught off guard. I mean, well, I suppose we could go out sometime..."

"Are you free Saturday?" he asked.

She stared into her coffee. It was cooling down beyond her liking and she wondered if anyone would notice her perform a simple heating charm. "Oh - sorry, Daniel. I promised Roxie I'd go to her Quidditch game. I haven't been in ages, and since it's a home game-"

"Well, I was already planning on going, actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And for the same reason, too. Dad says I don't show my support enough." He gave a laugh he tried to pass off as disinterested, but she could hear his exasperation. His father wouldn't think showing up at every game with one of those Muggle foam fingers saying _Puddlemere #1_ would be supportive enough. "Could I meet you for dinner first? Pick you up at six?"

"Let's- let's just meet there, if you don't mind. Maybe afterward we could get ice cream or something. Anyway, I should go. Roxanne will wonder where I am." She stood up, and Daniel followed suit. He walked her out of the cafe to the alley where they could Disapparate from. The sun was setting on the horizon, bathing the wet pavement in an orange hue and making it sparkle. It had been a long time since Molly had paid attention to the color of the sunset.

"It was great to run into you," Daniel said, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. She blushed at his nearness and felt butterflies rise up from her stomach and catch in her throat. All she could do was nod as he Disapparated.

She was alone again, but this time her obscurity wasn't quite so comforting. For the first time in nearly two years, she found herself anxiously preparing for a date with someone that wasn't Lysander. There was little reason to expect much would come of it - a Quidditch game with an old friend wasn't much of a first date, after all - but for the first time in eight months, she was excited about something.


	2. Chapter 1 - Stand and Wait

**Puddlemere United to Play Appleby Arrows at Home**

_On the home field for the first time this season, Puddlemere United, managed by ex-Keeper Oliver Wood and captained by Chaser Roxanne Weasley, will take on Appleby Arrows this Saturday. League standings currently have the Arrows in second place, narrowly leading third place United._

_"This could be the most important match of the season," said Wood in an interview earlier this week. "We're excited about what Weasley and [Seeker Daisy] Zeller can do out there."_

_The match will start at 1500 GMT at Puddlemere Stadium. Portkeys will begin arriving at 1100 GMT. Portkeys throughout Great Britain and their departure times are listed on page 12, column 1._

-Ginny Potter, Quidditch Correspondent to the _Daily Prophet _

* * *

Molly had never been so nervous for a date before. She paced back and forth down the narrow hallway of the flat she shared with Roxanne, brushing through her dark red hair and debating her potential outfit. "Roxie - what should I wear?"

Her cousin came out of her room across the hall looking annoyed. "Clothes, Molly. It's a Quidditch match, not one of your father's fancy Ministry balls."

"But, I mean, should I wear Muggle clothes," she said, gesturing to tight jeans and a t-shirt laid out on one side of her bed, "Or should I wear something more... magical? Robes or something? Should I wear navy blue to support you, or would that be too obvious?"

"Molly. Weasley. You are overthinking things. It's just Quidditch. I should be more nervous than you are anyway. I'm the one who's actually playing!"

Molly gave a half smile and blushed. "Okay, so you are. Good luck! But seriously. What should I wear?"

"I've got to be at the field," Roxanne said, a hold-all slung over her shoulder. "I'll meet up with you after, okay?" She walked into the living room, but turned around before Apparating. "And Mol? You're beautiful. You look great in anything."

Molly was back in her room before she heard the pop that signified Roxanne had left. Before Lysander, the papers had convinced her she was gorgeous, glamorous, worth following. But in losing him, especially in losing him to curvy, blonde, Kaelyn Finnigan, she had lost her confidence in her looks. Boyish, tall, a long thin nose, and Weasley hair... she smiled. At least she didn't have Rose Malfoy's _bushy_ red hair. In the end, Molly threw on jeans, a navy blue blouse, and ballet flats. She hoped her dad wouldn't mind the Muggle look; it seemed appropriate for a date with someone she ran into at an ordinary cafe.

A glance up to the box when she arrived showed her parents already there, dressed in their wizarding finest as always, though her mother was a Muggle. She smiled - her mum had done a fabulous job adjusting to wizarding life, even without magic, and she knew Muggle-borns were pleased to hear that the Minister himself was married to a Muggle. On her more cynical days, Molly wondered if their marriage was just another career tactic, but she really knew better. If there was one true thing about her father, it was that he genuinely loved his family.

"Molly? What are you doing at a Quidditch match?"

She turned at the sound of her name and saw her sister standing behind her, grinning. Molly put on airs of exasperation, like the answer was obvious. "I'm here to watch it, Lucy. Roxie's my best friend after all."

"Hasn't stopped you from staying home before."

Molly sighed, unsure whether she should tell her sister what brought her out of the house. Lucy was never short on"I told you so"s when it came to the disastrous ending of her relationship with Lysander; she was bound to wreak havoc on a new relationship, too. But no, this wasn't a relationship, she reminded herself. It was just a date. One date. It wasn't worth mentioning. She had little choice, though, when Daniel joined them a moment later.

"Hi, Molly."

She was glad to see he had chosen Muggle attire as well, and couldn't help her smile when she saw him. "Hey, Daniel. Do you remember my sister, Lucy? She was two years behind us..."

"Of course I remember her." He turned his attention from Molly to Lucy. "You weren't much for keeping quiet and out of the way," he said with a glint in his eye.

Lucy smirked. She had always been proud of being a troublemaker. Being the daughter of Prefect, turned Head Boy, turned Ministry employee, turned Minister for Magic seemed to only fuel her desire for mischief. "No, not really."

"And that hasn't changed," Molly added.

"Shut it, sis." If they had been ten years younger, Molly was sure Lucy would have stuck out her tongue. "Anyway, I'm sorry, but I don't remember you."

"Seriously, Lucy? This is Daniel Wood. He was over at our house all the time when we were kids."

"Well, you look different," she said, but only half-convincingly. She had never been much for paying attention outside of her own circle of friends, but Molly was still a little surprised that Lucy didn't remember him at all. "I imagine you're here to watch your dad manage?"

"Yes, of course," Molly answered for him, hastily. "I'm here to watch Roxie and he's here to watch his father manage. Funny coincidence, running into you. See you later, Lucy," she said, taking hold of Daniel's arm and pulling him away.

"Molly, what are you talking about?" He turned her toward him when they reached the stands. "You agree to go out with me but you want to hide the fact?"

"Daniel," she said, pleading. "I'm not ashamed to be out with you, really. But Lucy... she makes more trouble than it's worth to me. I just don't want her to go spreading rumors. If she knew I was out on a date again, she'd probably be calling up Parvati to have her do a feature on us. I'm sure she means well; she thinks I enjoy the attention as much as she does." They found their seats, high up and near the center of the pitch, but opposite the box her family was in, and sat down to catch their breaths after the stairs. "Truth be told, I used to. I might have enjoyed the attention even more than she does. But after... after the worst of my life was broadcast along with the best... I'm sort of over it."

"I get that," he said reassuringly. "Sorry for jumping down your throat about it. I just... I don't want to go on a date with someone who doesn't even want to be seen with me. I like you, Molly."

Unsure of what else to do, she reached for his hand and squeezed it. She wasn't sure how to respond. Did she like him too? Perhaps, but it was only their first date; meeting up in the coffee shop could hardly count. And she didn't want to jump in with both feet again. Last time she reconnected with an old friend from Hogwarts, she woke up the next morning in a hotel room with him and started a relationship as an afterthought. And she knew how that turned out. Merlin, the whole wizarding world knew how that turned out. If she was going to fall in love again (and really, it was far too soon to be thinking about that), she was going to do it right.

There was still more than an hour before the match was set to start, but Roxanne had told her there was always some sort of pre-match entertainment. "But don't put too much stock in it," she had said the night before. "Last time it was the _Weird Sisters_. There's nothing quite like a band of men in their mid-forties who dress like they're still twenty-five." Roxanne had rolled her eyes, reddish-black dreadlocks rustling as she shook her head.

"Do you know who will be playing tomorrow?" Molly had asked.

"No idea. They've really kept it under wraps this time." She shrugged and walked away.

Molly felt a tug on her arm that sent shivers down her spine, and Daniel's touch drew her back into the present. "Look, Molly. They're setting up now!" She was half-disappointed; the minutes of conversation she spent with Daniel since sitting down were carefree and easy, and the noise of a mini-concert was sure to keep them from talking. _Merlin._ She recognized the props being levitated onto the makeshift stage. It just figured. "Molly? What's wrong?"

"I shouldn't have come today. This is the last concert I wanted to go to."

"Merlin, you mean-" Daniel looked horrified.

"Yep, absolutely." His long blond hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail, and he wore open white wizard's robes over tight black pants; there was no mistaking Lysander Scamander. Even if there was, the sudden chaos of screaming teenage girls would have given it away. It made Molly nauseated and gave her butterflies all at once. She didn't know what else to do but bury her head in Daniel's shoulder as Lysander began to sing. The crowd went wild.

This is not how she pictured her first date post-Lysander starting. Not in the slightest.

Daniel seemed to get that intuitively. "Do you want to check out the merchandise before the match starts? We should have about half an hour or so."

Molly found herself smiling, something she wouldn't have believed possible, given the situation. "That sounds brilliant. Roxie would love it if I came home with a miniature of herself."

"She would?" asked Daniel incredulously.

"She would hate it," Molly amended, "which is all the more reason to do so." They laughed together, and Daniel reached out for her hand as they climbed down the stairs.

They arrived at one of the several stands for Puddlemere souvenirs, unclasping hands to look around. Molly picked up a four-inch miniature of Roxanne that really flew, hovering an inch off her hand and following it around like a magnet. "Look at this, Daniel!"

"That's perfect. How much?" he asked the attendant.

"A Galleon and two Sickles," was the curt response, and Daniel started digging through his pockets.

"No, Daniel, I can pay for it, really."

"Let me. It's the least I can do." He smiled at her and she felt she had no choice to give in. As he paid, she kept looking at souvenirs, her eyes wandering to a pin with some of Mr. Wood's most inspirational Quidditch phrases alternating through as it flashed: _Get the Snitch or die trying; If you're down to an eye, an arm, and a leg, you've still got enough to keep playing;_ and _Quidditch is life - breathing is secondary._

"Daniel, look at this!" she exclaimed, laughing.

His face was grim. "It would be funny if he didn't actually mean it."

"Yeah, I know." Molly turned serious at his response. "Not sure those are the phrases I would use to keep my players motivated."

"Well, it seems to work. They're always near the top of the table." His voice was bitter, and Molly wondered what sort of tension lay underneath his words. Were these the "inspirational phrases" he had been raised under?

"Still, there has to be a better way," she said, then changed the topic. "Maybe we should get back. I don't hear music anymore."

"That's a good idea," Daniel said, his voice returning to its normal register. She pocketed the miniature as he reached out for her hand. It was a strange, but welcome, sensation to be near someone who wanted to hold her hand again. They walked in a comfortable silence back up the stairs to their seats, where sure enough, the music had stopped and tear-down was occurring.

Lee Jordan's voice boomed around the stadium the moment they had sat down, and Molly smiled. He had been commentating since the days when Oliver Wood was on the team, and Uncle George had his fair share of stories about the man. Every now and then he would come over for a Weasley get together, and his laughter, like her uncle's, was infectious.

He announced the players for each team as they came flying in from one end of the field. The spectacle was nothing like a Hogwarts match; special effects were everywhere and the crowd was at least four times the size. At the sound of Roxanne's name, announced first since she was Captain, Molly and Daniel both started screaming, and didn't stop until after Oliver Wood flew in behind his team. Instead of continuing to circle the Stadium like the players, after one lap, he made his way to the ground to watch.

The match was close and the teams were equally skilled, which had Molly and Daniel both on the edge of their seats as the match continued. Molly had never been the biggest Quidditch fan, and Daniel certainly wasn't, but there were some matches that were mesmerizing regardless, and this was one of them. There wasn't a goal Roxanne scored that Natalie Davies couldn't counter, and Daisy Zeller and the Arrows Seeker, Micah Smith, had both had close encounters with the Snitch at different points. The match continued for more than two hours, but Molly hardly noticed. At that point, the score was still dead even, at three hundred twenty points each.

"Zeller has broken away from her path!" came Lee Jordan's voice. "It looks like she's seen the Snitch. But Smith is right on her tail now - expert dodge there from a Puddlemere Bludger, but it seems to have slowed him down. Zeller continues up, twenty feet above the Puddlemere goals now - and she's dived down! It looks like it was just a tactic to get Smith away! Zeller races for the other side, inches from the ground by the Appleby goals, and she pulls up... she's got it! Zeller has the Snitch! Puddlemere win four hundred seventy to three hundred twenty! They have overtaken Appleby in the standings!"

There was a nearly equal mix of cheering and groaning from the dense crowd, and Molly and Daniel were in the thick of it. As the cheering ended, the pair filed out of the stadium. "Should we head to the changing rooms? I'm sure Roxanne would love to see you," Daniel said.

"And your father would love to see you, too. I bet he's glad you came." For the first time, she was the one to initiate holding hands as they made their way out and into the crowd. Unfortunately, trying to get to the changing rooms was harder than she anticipated. They were moving in the opposite direction, and it was like swimming upstream in an overflowing river. They were constantly knocked out of the way and stuck walking backwards just to keep from falling over in the stream of people.

It took great effort and nearly twenty minutes, but eventually they made it to the changing rooms. A burly guard was standing outside. "No fans in the changing room," he grunted.

"But you see-"

"No fans."

Daniel tried next. "I'm not. I'm Daniel Wood, Oliver's son."

"You think I haven't heard that before?" His arms remained crossed and his voice gruff, although there was some humor in it. "Nice try, kid."

"Listen, sir. Roxanne Weasley, she's my cousin. I'm Molly Weasley! The Minister's daughter!"

"Sure you are. Have a nice day. They'll be signing autographs at the merchandise table in an hour."

"Ugh! I should've thought to have Roxanne add me to some kind of list, like they have at clubs."

"I'm not sure even that would have worked. He seemed adamant." Daniel reached over to take her hand again and squeezed it with reassurance. "We'll see them later, at any rate."

"Yeah. Still, all that walking for nothing," Molly said, but it suddenly didn't feel like nothing. Right in front of them were two arguing blond figures.

"Of course I came! You're my fiance, aren't you? Why wouldn't I come to support you when you're performing?"

"I just thought you had something on this week, that's all."

"You make it sound like you don't want me here. Merlin's beard, don't tell me you were hoping to run into _her_."

"Of course not! I just-"

"You just _what_, Ly? You wanted some time alone with your bandmates? You thought I was turning mad under the pressure of planning a wedding?"

"Just let it go, Kaelyn. We'll talk about it when we get home."

"You bet your- Molly?"

"What are you talking about?" Lysander's voice sounded confused; he was facing away from Molly and Daniel, but evidently Kaelyn had caught a glimpse of the pair.

Now having an unwelcome invitation into the conversation, Molly strode forward, trying to look more confident than she felt. "Kaelyn. Lysander." Her voice was cool. "I believe you both know Daniel Wood?"

The look in his eyes as he joined her said, _Did you really have to bring me into this?_, but he moved beside her anyway and took her hand.

"Are you two dating now?" Kaelyn sounded skeptical.

It was Daniel who answered. "So what if we are?" Molly appreciated how he dodged the technicalities. "Congratulations on your engagement, by the way. You two seem so... happy."

"Er, thanks," Lysander replied, but he refused to look any of them in the eye. Molly couldn't blame him.

"Um, Daniel, maybe we should just..." She inclined her head in the general direction of the exit.

"Yeah, us too," Kaelyn said to Lysander. With one pointed glance at Molly, she leaned up and kissed him full on the mouth before wrapping an arm around his waist and walking in the opposite direction.

As they moved away, Molly's breathing returned to normal. A part of her was immensely happy to have caught the couple fighting, though given a choice she would have rather not seen them at all. She relaxed beside Daniel, their fingers intertwined. She was quickly getting used to the feeling; Lysander almost never held her hand in public.

"Hey, Mol, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"It didn't mess with you too much, seeing them together?"

"It's no different than seeing the papers," Molly said as they pushed past some slow-moving Hogwarts students. "They've been together for eight months. And I was with you."

"I guess that would be nice, running into your ex with someone to be with," he said bitterly.

"No, that's not at all what I meant!" she said, exasperated. But she couldn't figure out exactly how to word what she _did _mean, and they walked on in silence.

As they neared the exit, Molly heard a familiar voice shouting, though she couldn't quite place who it was. Nearly subconsciously, she angled their path in that direction, and the voice became clearer. "-not like you understand anything, anyway! It's my life! You never did anything interesting - always following the damn rules."

"Just because you're of age doesn't mean you can talk to me that way, young lady." Molly gasped. Lucy's voice could have been any one of her cousins. But there was no mistaking the tone of her father.

"Merlin, Dad. You run the country, not my life."

"As long as you live in this country..."

"Be careful what you wish for," Lucy said. By this point, Molly could see her, though her little sister was short, like their mother. She turned from their father in a huff and marched in Molly's direction.

"Lucy? Lucy, what happened?" she asked, grabbing her shoulder as she passed.

"Shut up, Molly. You just want some gossip that isn't about you for once," Lucy said, shoving Molly's arm off of her and walking on. Her tone was biting, but underneath it was a restraint that made her sure Lucy was trying hard not to cry. But in this crowd, and with Daniel beside her, there was no way to pursue her.

* * *

A million thanks to keeptheotherone for Beta-ing for me, and to my husband for his Brit-picking. The story wouldn't be what it is without either of them. (Reviews are always welcome, and please don't favorite/follow without dropping a quick review to let me know what you like! - or didn't. I'm not picky.)


	3. Chapter 2 - Break and Burn

**Percy Weasley In Over His Head With Youngest Daughter, Lucy**

_Tension is high for Minister for Magic, Percy Weasley. As he tries to campaign to remain Minister for Magic against promising rival Ernie Macmillan, the Minister's family life seems as rotted as a two-week-old bat spleen. Seen at the Puddlemere United home game last Saturday with his family, he and youngest daughter Lucy, 21, were heard squabbling._

_Not three days later, Lucy was seen leaving the house of Bryan Macmillan at five o'clock in the morning, wearing a large men's jumper over seemingly bare legs. She Apparated within seconds, but an anonymous Prophet photographer captured those moments on film (see picture below, column 3). No one is sure if Lucy's affair with Bryan Macmillan is to upset her father's political campaign or despite it. However, one thing is clear - Mr Weasley will have much public relations cleanup to do to make up for his deplorable family life._

_While Molly Weasley, 23, has kept out of trouble recently, one cannot easily forget her very public relationship with Lysander Scamander; and the Minister is sure to have both daughters to answer for as his term comes to a close._

- Rita Skeeter, senior correspondent to the _Daily Prophet_

* * *

Lucy Weasley was already in Dublin when her photo appeared on the front page of the _Prophet_. The Republic of Ireland may not have been under her father's direct control, but they still received the same paper. She couldn't care less.

Her affair with Bryan had very little to do with her father, though, and very much to do with precisely how intoxicated she was the night before at The Leaky Cauldron. After all, anyone Rose Weasley would date (and she and Bryan were engaged only eighteen months prior) was nowhere near Lucy's type. When she had left the pub, she couldn't see straight, didn't recognize the face of the man who held her hand as they Apparated away.

In the morning, when she realized what she'd done - and with whom - it was with an almost sadistic pleasure. Since the Quidditch match, she had been trying to think of a way to undermine her father's run for re-election. It sucked, really, she thought as she sat on a dingy twin-sized bed above the Cauldron O'Gold - the first pub she'd found upon her arrival. The worst thing was knowing that her father was, well, good at what he did as Minister.

Her uncles always said he had been a prat as a child, and she could see that. But his prattishness had served him well as he climbed the ranks of the Ministry. And his desire to obey the rules led him to create fair issue Lucy had with him was that he didn't seem able to differentiate between the Ministry and their house. Everything had to be under his control; Lucy couldn't move out even though Hogwarts was three years behind her. And while she was there, her father had every intention of running the minutiae of her life just as he ran the British wizarding community at large.

She hated it. She wanted out. So she had gone to Ireland - at least it wasn't under his jurisdiction. People may still know who she was here, but she couldn't be controlled. It would have to do, for now. However, in hindsight, Lucy wished she had thought things through a little more. When she left Bryan's house in his jumper - over her short, skin-tight dress - she had still planned to go back home to her parents, let them see her that way, before disappearing. But when she heard the shutter and saw the flash of the camera, she didn't think. She Apparated straight to Dublin.

Dublin had been on her mind a while, as a place close to home but far enough from her family that she could be left alone. She couldn't face her father in the aftermath of the article. No one, for now at least, knew where she was. Lucy wished she had kept some of her friends from Hogwarts. Ashley Thomas or Kaelyn Finnigan or someone. But they seemed to cling to her fame and seeing their pictures in the paper with her when they went out, rather than being a real friend, so Lucy had retreated from them.

She should have known that friends who like you for your popularity are better than no friends at all. But she didn't. And she knew she had to tell someone where she was. She wanted her family to at least know that she was safe. Her family. Of course; that settled it. She would write to Molly, beg her not to tell their father where she was, only that she was safe, and hope that Molly's recent run-ins with the press would give her a bit of empathy.

Lucy curled up onto a ball beneath the musty covers of her bed. She didn't deserve Molly's empathy, not after her comment at the Quidditch match. But what choice did she have? She combed through her hair with her fingers, wishing she'd had a moment to change her clothes or bring more outfits with her. Or a brush. Or a toothbrush. She'd have to write Gringotts as well, it seemed. Downstairs, she purchased parchment and a quill with the money she had left over from her drunken night with Bryan and sat down at a bar stool.

* * *

Molly stared incredulously at the owl in front of her for a solid minute while it pecked her gently and held out its leg impatiently. It couldn't be. There was no way that _this_ owl should be in _her_ flat. It must have made a mistake. But the roll of parchment, which she finally untied from him, had her name on it. The letter, as she feared, was from Lysander. Molly couldn't help remembering the last letter she'd received from him - the one in which he broke up with her. She unrolled the parchment to see a page full of his messy handwriting.

_Molly,_

_I'm sorry to write you, but I have been thinking about you a lot since I saw you at the Quidditch match. We had such a good friendship for so many years. Ending it all with a letter was one of the stupidest things I've ever done. We have a lot of loose ends we need to tie up. I need to talk to you before I can marry Kaelyn._

_Don't get me wrong. I love Kaelyn, and I want to marry her. But there are some things that I feel you would understand best, Mol. I feel like there are two kinds of people others forget to see: the desolate, and the celebrities. Kaelyn doesn't get that yet. I just want to talk. If you are willing, please meet me at Fortescue's on Diagon Alley this Friday at three o'clock._

_Your friend (because aren't we, still? After nearly 20 years of friendship?),_

_Lysander_

Merlin's pants. The bugger wanted closure now? Eight months later? When she had finally started a new relationship? She wanted closure as well; she wished she didn't. Roxanne walked into their flat that evening after a day of Quidditch practice. She was dripping with sweat and still short of breath. "Everything okay, Roxie?"

"Wood's just working us to the bone. Now that we're second, he has his sights on first, of course. But six hours of practice is overkill." She dropped her bag on the floor and slumped into a chair at the dining table. "Anything interesting with you?"

"I got an owl."

"Did you? From Daniel?"

"No, he just pops in if he wants to talk or see me." Molly blushed. "It was from Lysander."

"Bloody hell! What are you doing getting letters from Lysander? He's bloody engaged!" Roxie had stood up, and even her dark skin was reddening beneath the surface.

"Merlin, Roxie. It's not like we've been bloody pen pals this whole time. It's one letter. A couple of paragraphs on a scrap of parchment."

"What did he want?"

Molly sighed. If Roxie's reaction to a letter at all was so harsh, Molly worried about what she would think of its actual contents. But there was no use in lying. She didn't have the time she'd need to charm the words to hide or say something besides the truth. "He wants closure, Rox. He wants me to meet him at Fortescue's for ice cream."

"You're not going, are you?" In her pause, Molly's expression changed just enough. "Merlin. You're going."

"I want closure, too." Molly's voice was a whisper as she stared at the table.

"What about Daniel?"

"We've only been on three dates! Why should he need to know?"

"You've been on three dates in five days, Mol. I'd say that's something. His dad knows."

"What were you doing? Blabbering on about my love life at practice or something?"

"No, Molly! Who do you think I am? You've been my best friend for a long time. And you're family. It was Daniel who told him."

Molly sighed. How serious was Daniel about this relationship? How serious was she? It was only a week today since they ran into each other. Did one week of relationship trump the years in silence since they left Hogwarts? It was difficult to say. Even as much as she'd enjoyed chatting with him on their last two dates (to ice cream the day after the match, and then back to the Muggle cafe two days later), they'd yet to kiss or even talk about any serious commitment. Molly liked it that way. So far, the tabloids hadn't caught on to their outings, and for now, she wanted to keep it that way. Especially after the scandal about her sister just that morning. Though she was consumed with thoughts about Lucy and Daniel, she only said, "I can meet with Lysander if I want to. It's not like anything will happen. Neither of us want it to."

She left the table, but before she made it halfway to her room, an owl flew in the open window. Merlin. Another letter? Maybe Lysander had changed his mind and had to cancel. Molly tried to ignore the drop in her stomach at the thought. The owl looked like a borrowed one, regardless of who sent it. But the handwriting immediately gave it away. Lucy. Molly tore open the seal slightly recklessly. After Rita's article, who knows what Lucy would have done. She hadn't written in ages.

_Dear Molly,_

_I'm sorry to write you, but I don't have anyone else to turn to. I am safe in Dublin, but if Dad asks, please just tell him I'm safe, and not where I am. It's so nice to be somewhere where he can't control me, can't even control the laws. I'm not sure how long I'll stay, but I don't count on coming back anytime soon._

_Anyway, I hate to do this, but you're my favourite sister whom I love dearly, and I really need a favour. When I heard the camera click when I left Bryan's house (yes, Rita got something right, the snot), I Apparated immediately here. I don't have anything. Could you please visit Mum - when Dad isn't home, of course - and pick up some clothes for me? I'm at the Cauldron O'Gold in Dublin, should be easy enough to Apparate to. Tell Mum I love her, Sis._

_I just can't deal with England right now. Thanks in advance._

_All my love,_

_Lucy_

Molly sighed as she finished reading. Roxanne had materialized beside her somewhere in the middle and read over her shoulder, shaking her head and muttering at different intervals. "Well?"

"Well, what? I'm going, of course. She's a twit, but she's my sister. So today I'll visit my Mum. Tomorrow morning I'll Apparate to Dublin. And Friday," Molly added with a note of determination, "Friday, I will go to Fortescue's to see Lysander."

"It's your life," Roxanne finally said. "Ruin it however you like."

Molly shot her one last glance, eyebrows narrowed, mouth pursed, before Disapparating to a block away from her family home. It wasn't yet six o'clock; her father was certainly not going to be home yet. Sure enough, she delivered Lucy's message and picked up some essentials for her sister without a hitch, but once she was home again with Roxanne, they didn't say a word the rest of the night.

In the morning, while Molly got ready to go to Ireland and Roxanne prepared for another six-hour Quidditch practice, they were still silent, even as they got ready side by side in the one bathroom mirror. Molly finished first, and as she grabbed the tote with Lucy's things and headed to the door, Roxie stuck her head out of the bathroom door. "Hey... good luck," she said, sounding almost ashamed.

"Thanks."

"Tell Luce I love her?"

"Of course." Molly smiled. It was likely as much of an apology as she could expect from her cousin, and it put her in a much better mood as she set all of her determination on her destination - Dublin.

Lucy was right; the Cauldron O'Gold was very easy to find. If it weren't for the Muggles walking by on either side of her without so much of a glance, she would've thought it was impossible to ignore, magical or not. A bright sign in Irish green took up half the facade, and golden cauldrons overflowing with Galleons were painted in both of the windows. Small leprechauns were painted along the bottom, enchanted to run just above the window sills holding signs displaying the specials.

Despite the bright window displays, the inside reminded Molly of the Hog's Head more than anything else. If Lucy wanted to remain undetected, Molly supposed it was a good choice. An old woman was running the bar. She smiled when Molly walked up, revealing a nearly toothless mouth. The pub had cobwebs in most corners of the ceiling, and a thin layer of debris coated the floor. Molly couldn't help but wonder why they spent so much time on the facade when the inside looked like this.

"Well, lass, can I help you?"

"Um, yes, I'm looking for Lucy Weasley?" Molly wasn't sure why it came out as a question.

"Room 211. But it's early yet for her. She didn't appear until near noon yesterday." She gestured to the back staircase dismissively.

The brass numbers over her sister's room were tarnished and the second 1 was nearly falling off. Molly knocked hesitatingly on the door.

"Go away - I'll come down when I'm ready," came a groggy voice.

"Lucy?"

Footsteps, and a slightly happier tone. "Molly? You brought clothes?" She sounded suspicious.

"I brought love from Mum and Roxie," Molly said, annoyed. "Of course I brought clothes." She heard the patter of feet across the wooden floor and the doorknob squeaked as it turned. She nearly dropped the clothes, though, when she saw her sister. Greasy, untidy hair stuck out in every direction, and she was clothed only in a ragged men's undershirt. "Luce? What happened to you?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for the clothes," she said, reaching for the tote.

"You're not getting off that easy," Molly said, forcing the door to remain open as she walked inside. "I didn't Apparate all the way here for two minutes of your time."

"Well, too bad," Lucy said evasively. "I'll write you later, okay?" She kept glancing back at the small metal bed in the corner, and eventually Molly followed her gaze. A man was lying there, bare chested - completely naked, for all she could tell - pretending to be asleep.

"Er, who's that?"

Lucy sighed. "Now that you're here, I guess, and have seen him... Declan, come here a minute."

The man started to stir and Molly hastily said, "No, it's fine, he can stay where he is." He had shaggy hair, black and stringy, and a five o'clock shadow. He had a square jaw line, high cheekbones, and pale blue eyes. Lucy's type to a T.

"Declan Blake," he said, in a voice much higher pitched than Molly imagined.

"Molly, Lucy's older sister. You from around here?"

"I live a few blocks away."

"Lucy, will you please put some clothes on and come downstairs with me for a few minutes?"

"Fine. Wait outside."

A fair few minutes later, the sisters headed downstairs and sat at a table near the back of the pub. "Can I get you anything?" the toothless woman called from the bar.

"Two Butterbeers," Molly shouted. Then, more quietly, "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, Luce? How long have you known Declan?"

Her eyes gleamed with mischief. "About twelve hours. But I know him _really _well."

Molly rolled her eyes. "I could tell that much. I thought you just wanted out of Dad's jurisdiction, not to make such a bloody mess of yourself already! Get yourself together."

"Like you're any better! Moping about after Lysander for eight freaking months! What kind of work do you do anyway? Oh yeah, nothing! Dad pays for your flat. He gives you pocket money, for Merlin's sake. Pocket money at 23, and you think _I'm _the only screw-up in our lovely magazine-cover family?"

"You still live with him," Molly said. "At least I got out."

"I did too, in case you haven't noticed. That would be why we're having this discussion in Ireland. And you know perfectly well that Dad won't send me any pocket money while I'm here. Unlike certain older sisters I have, _I'll _have to make it on my own."

"By doing what? The same thing you did last night?"

"That's low, Molly," Lucy said, and sounded like she meant it. Molly tried to calm herself some.

"What, then?"

"Barmaid. Florence already told me she'd hire me, right?" she said as the toothless woman brought their Butterbeers.

"Right. A Galleon a day, if you do good work. And room and board, of course." Lucy smiled as if those were wages to be proud of.

"See? I'll be better off than you anyway, having something to call my own."

"And a different man in your room every night?"

"Maybe the same one," Lucy said candidly. "I like Declan, and we had _such_ fun."

Molly resented Roxie's advice at the time, but it seemed more than appropriate now. "It's your life, Sis. Ruin it however you like." She fished the change for her Butterbeer out of her pocket and turned to go.

"I will, Mol. After all, I have my big sister to look up to for an example."


	4. Chapter 3 - And End

**Scamander Scandal! Lysander Caught Out with Molly Weasley**

_Less than a week after the engagement between Lysander Scamander and Kaelyn Finnigan was confirmed, several sources caught Mr Scamander out on an intimate-looking date with ex-girlfriend Molly Weasley, daughter of the Minister for Magic._

"_They were sitting across from each other, leaning really close. I think they were holding hands," one source confides. "They looked so happy, laughing together. I think they shared an ice-cream, too."_

"_I saw them sneak off together to a private corner," says another. "I'm sure they were snogging. It was terrible; I couldn't look away."_

_Ms Weasley couldn't be reached for comment, but Mr Scamander's publicist said, "Molly and Lysander have been friends since childhood. Their meeting was nothing scandalous. We thank you to stay out of his business."_

_The history of Lysander and Molly's relationship can be found in backorders of _Witch Weekly _from summer and autumn 2025. To request these from the archive, please write to the address listed on the inside front cover._

- Rita Skeeter, freelance journalist for _Witch Weekly_

* * *

"Both of them," Percy said as he sat at the breakfast table across from his wife. He was poking his scrambled eggs, mashing them to bits, but hadn't eaten so much as a bite in the five minutes they'd been there. "Both of them in one week, Audrey! Don't they realize what this will do for my career? Couldn't they wait and have personal issues after I'm safely re-elected?" Percy mushed his eggs with alarming force, the fork clanging loudly against the cerulean plate underneath.

"Percy, dear," Audrey said, using a matronly tone he couldn't stand. She sounded like his mother. "You can't honestly think your daughters are out to ruin your chances, can you?"

"Of course I can! Lucy being seen with Macmillan's son! All the Macmillans are so pompous. I don't see how she can stand them. Shouldn't she know better?" Across from him, Audrey chucked, choking slightly on her toast. "What?" Percy asked, irritated.

"Nothing, dear. But really I think you need to go easier on our children. They aren't doing this to ruin your chances. Maybe they're feeling the pressure, too."

Percy set down his fork and stared at his wife across the table. "You didn't hear Lucy at the Puddlemere game. She certainly sounded like she wanted me out of office as soon as possible."

"What about Molly, though? Do you really think she wanted to be in the papers again?"

He paused and breathed deeply, seemed to think clearly for the first time since the conversation had started. Being with Lysander, or rather, no longer being with Lysander, had changed his oldest daughter. She was calmer, more reserved in the ways she related to the media. She didn't go outside as much, didn't seem as keen on attending his Ministry events. When she did, Molly no longer gave the media anything more to write about than a shy smile and a wave. "No," he said curtly, like the admission was painful to him.

"Look at the byline!" Audrey continued, as though he hadn't just admitted defeat. "Didn't you say that Rita Skeeter couldn't be trusted?"

"Yes, I did," Percy admitted, taking the paper from his wife's hands. He was pleased with how well Audrey had adapted to wizarding society, how many of its laws and nuances she had come to understand. She never seemed to forget what anyone told her, and apparently that included the various merits and shortcomings of the wizarding world's reporters. "But her stories are always based in fact, and look at the picture! Molly and Lysander, leaning in so close. They almost look like they're still in love. And Rita Skeeter may lie, but cameras don't."

Across from him, Audrey rolled her eyes. "Photoshop," she said. He must have looked as baffled as he felt, though, because Audrey let out a nervous laugh and added, "Never mind. Aren't there ways to magically meddle with pictures?"

Her logic this morning was terribly annoying. Thinking his daughters were ruining his luck in the opinion polls could keep him from fretting that there was something wrong with himself, and he wanted to push the nagging feeling that there was as deep inside as possible. "Of course there are. But it looks authentic to me, sweetheart. Don't you remember the way they looked when they were dating? Like that." He emphasized his words with a hearty poke toward the picture. The Molly and Lysander in the picture looked up, seeming offended at his jab, then returned to staring at each other.

Audrey sighed and looked at Percy with hints of pity in her blue eyes. "Percy. It's been more than twenty years since you were at Hogwarts."

"What's that have to do with anything?"

"If Penelope asked you out to ice cream now, and someone took a picture, what would it look like?"

"Well, it would- we certainly wouldn't- I mean, you can't possibly think-" His rambling was getting him nowhere and he knew it. A deep breath. A forced bite of scrambled eggs to give him time to chew and think. "Well then, she shouldn't have agreed to meet him."

"Did you ever talk to her after Lysander ended it?"

"Of course I did! I didn't disown her over his bad decision, certainly. I talked to her a few weeks ago!"

"That's not what I mean, love." Percy hated the way his wife addressed him, like he were some impatient child. "Did she ever talk to you about Lysander and that relationship ending? How she felt about it?"

He opened his mouth and closed it a few times, trying to figure out what answer she was looking for. He settled on a curt "No."

"I have," she replied, and he wasn't at all surprised. "There was so much uncertainty, so many questions she didn't have answered. Everything felt... unresolved. He just up and left and found Kaelyn in a matter of a week. The last night they were still dating, Molly felt like everything was fine. It hit her hard. She didn't understand. If you had been given the choice, just after the war, to find out exactly what Penelope thought of you, why she left you the way she did, would you have taken it?"

"Most likely," he answered stiffly.

"Then you are more like your daughter than you might care to admit."

* * *

Molly felt like she stood in the middle of a thunderstorm and she was just waiting for the lightning to strike. In the hours since the article came out, her life had once again been pulled out from underneath her feet, and she hung in the balance of everyone's diminishing opinions of her. Roxanne, so far, was the worst.

"I told you so!" she said, standing over the kitchen counter. "I told you meeting up with Lysander was going to stir up some old shit you didn't want to deal with, but no. You wouldn't listen to me. And now your picture is all over the bloody country! You may have just screwed up the only good thing to happen to you recently!"

"What are you talking about, Roxie?"

"Have you really been sucked so far back into Lysander's vortex that you've forgotten about Daniel? Maybe you don't deserve him anyway."

"I haven't forgotten about Daniel," she insisted, but she knew how unlikely it sounded. "And how many times do I have to tell you? Nothing happened between Lysander and me! We went out to ice-cream. We talked. He was kind and funny, but there was a distance between us. The past eight months changed both of us, that much was obvious. We did _not_ pick up right where we left off. We did _not_ go off to a corner to snog- Roxie, don't even start. We didn't snog at all. I don't care what that Skeeter woman or her 'sources' said."

"Well, the rest of the world does. So you might want to start paying attention. And figure out what you're going to say to Daniel. I have a Quidditch match tonight, and warm-ups to get to, and I bet you that it will suck today, Molly. Do you know why? Because Oliver is going to be pissed off, because of you. Maybe you should come with us, go through all the conditioning drills. That's what he would want, certainly. Get to put you through the hell you deserve."

"_Merlin_, Roxie, come off it! You think my trip to Diagon Alley is going to ruin your career? You're insane. Oliver doesn't even like me that much, I thought."

"But he knows Daniel does. Oliver not liking you is only going to make this worse. So thanks a lot, Mol. Catch you when I'm home. And sore. At least we're only playing the Cannons."

Roxanne had grabbed her bag and Disapparated out of the flat before Molly had time to reply. Until that moment, she always thought that the expression about wanting to pull your hair out was figurative. She collapsed onto the kitchen floor and let herself cry like she hadn't cried in eight months.

Maybe it had been a dumb idea, meeting Lysander. But in spite of it all, the publicity, the way her friends and family were reacting, she did get the closure she was after. Maybe they had flirted more than was absolutely necessary - looking at the picture in the paper confirmed that - but there just wasn't the spark left that there used to be. Molly was happy; she had made the right decision in choosing Daniel.

Merlin. Daniel. She needed to find him, talk to him, explain what happened before he drew his own conclusions. Molly went to the bathroom to fix her hair, do what she could about the redness around her eyes, and with one last look at her sad smile in the mirror, she Apparated away, to a small alley near Daniel's flat.

She knew he was home. The lights were on and noise came from inside. But she banged against the door again and again and still he didn't open it. "Daniel, please. I know you're in there! Let me at least talk to you!" Then, wand discreetly in her hand, she quickly whispered "_Alohomora."_

Surprisingly, the door clicked open. "If you don't want me here, you better do a better job with your wards," she said, closing the door behind her and walking into his living room. It was sparsely furnished, a bachelor pad to a T, and there on the couch sat Daniel, face in his hands. "Oh, Merlin, Daniel. Are you all right?"

"Some nerve you have, Molly, breaking into my flat like that after everything that you just did."

"With a first year spell! You should-"

"You're going to come in here and tell me what I should be doing? Really? Do you think you're the right person for dishing out advice right now? Merlin, Molly. I thought... I can't believe I thought you were falling for me."

Looking at him, her heart beat apprehensively against her ribcage. She hadn't meant to ruin this relationship before it even started. His mousy hair was matted against his forehead and his cheeks were blotchy. A copy of the paper lay open in front of him, defaced by a marker and a bit of magic. "I _have_ fallen for you, Daniel! Haven't you noticed? Three dates and holding hands, and I swear there were stars in my eyes when I looked at you."

"Yeah, well..." he stabbed the paper. Picture-Lysander looked up in annoyance.

When Molly spoke again, her voice was quieter, apologetic. "I'm sorry. Lysander sent me a note saying he wanted some closure after seeing us at the Quidditch match and I-"

"And you what? Thought it was a great opportunity to snag him back from Kaelyn? If it was such an innocent meeting, why didn't you bloody bother to tell me that you were going?"

"I didn't think it would be a big deal!"

"Well it is, Molly. And if you can't see why, then I'm not sure what I ever saw in you. Get out."

"But aren't you going to let me-"

"Get out, Molly."

"Rita Skeeter wrote that article! Half the things she said-"

"Half? That's not enough. Get out! I don't want to see you."

Sobbing again, and letting Daniel see her cry, she didn't even bother walking to the front door. She turned on the spot and Disapparated straight back to her own living room. She had made one dumb decision, a dumb decision she barely regretted at the time, and yet within twenty-four hours everything had crumbled around it. Her friendship with Roxanne, her relationship with Daniel... she was afraid to talk to her parents; there was no one to talk to, no one who hadn't seen the article, no one who would hear her out. But in thinking through her circle of friends, she finally got to Lucy.

No matter that she was in Ireland. It was easy enough to get to, and maybe Lucy was right; there was something freeing about getting out of their father's jurisdiction, maybe getting outside the reach of Rita Skeeter. Roxanne probably wouldn't want to see her anyway. The multiple Apparations in one day might get to her, but oh well. She wanted far away, and Lucy's seemed the best place to go. Molly quickly packed an overnight bag and soon found herself wandering the streets of Dublin.

The Cauldron O'Gold seemed even more run down than the last time Molly was here, only a few days ago, but maybe that was because she now knew what it was like on the inside. Ignoring the dancing leprechauns along the window sill, she walked in, a bell tinkling as the door opened. To her surprise, Lucy was wandering about the mostly empty tables, her hair unbrushed but pulled back into a high ponytail as she cleaned. The old hag behind the bar watched with satisfaction on her toothless face. "Luce?"

"What?" her sister replied, panic written on her face and in the undertones of her voice. "Oh, it's just you."

"Yeah. Just me, sis. How is everything going?"

"I can't talk now, Molly. I'm working." She eyed the bar nervously and pressed the washcloth harder into the table she was cleaning. "Florence'll kill me if I take a break before my shift's over. Can you wait?"

"Where?"

"I don't care. Just... not here, okay?"

"Fine. Job harder than you expected?" Molly asked as she turned back toward the entrance.

Lucy shrugged. "Meet me back here at seven. We'll go for a walk."

Without anything better to do, Molly went on a self-guided walking tour of Dublin. It was a noisy place, and crowded. She didn't like it much. Granted, she didn't like London much either, and really wanted to live out in the country like her namesake. But she didn't want a big house in the country for just herself, so a flat with Roxanne in her cousin's favorite city would have to do for now.

Dublin did have some merits, though, even if they were universal things like the glowing orange of the sunset behind the city's skyline. She perched on a bench at a park to watch the sun go down, then headed back towards the pub. Lucy was sitting at a corner bench, apron still on, hair frizzy. She looked exhausted. In truth, neither she nor her sister had done that kind of hard labor all day before, and Molly felt a swell of pride for her sister. She stuck to her decision and made it on her own. Molly wished she could be that strong.

She slid into the plain wooden chair across from Lucy and for a moment they simply sat - two lost sisters who found themselves connecting for the first time in a city far from home. Finally, Molly said, "Did you see Rita's latest article in _Witch Weekly_?"

"Yeah."

"No one believes me when I say it didn't happen like she said," Molly admitted.

"I can't blame them; Rita tells a compelling story. And the picture, and your history... it adds up nicely. Except..."

"Except what?"

"Except you're here and not in the process of breaking Lysander and Kaelyn up. Except you and Daniel started seeing each other. Except even when Lysander broke up with you, I can't remember you looking this hopeless." She paused, her eyes seeming to search Molly's face. "You doing okay?"

"Of course not! Roxanne thinks I'll ruin her career because of Oliver, Daniel is upset with me for seeing the bloke at all, and I don't even want to _try_ talking to Dad." At that, Lucy let out a small, inescapable laugh. "And Lysander and I parted on good terms, but with no real intention of speaking again, so... yeah. Basically you're all I've got left. And you're here in Dublin."

"Come stay with me, then! I'm sure you could get a job as a barmaid as well. I mean, you can't really share my room because, well, Declan visits a lot, but it doesn't cost too much, and we could work together!"

For an instant, a sweet moment, the idea sounded worthwhile. She wouldn't be in England with Daniel or Lysander or Roxanne or her parents. She could begin again, really start anew, like Lucy was. But the moment of hope passed quickly. "I can't. I'm sorry, Lucy. I'm in too deep and I can't just run away from my problems. Maybe, if at the end of the rope, nothing works out, I will be back. But I have to try; I have to try and face everything."

"Have it your way," Lucy said, shrugging. "It's nice here, though."

Molly nodded. "It is. But I screwed everything up. What kind of person would I be if I didn't even try?"


	5. Chapter 4 - Like a Little Kid

**Grim Defeat for No. 2 Team Puddlemere United**

_In an unfortunate match Saturday evening, Puddlemere United was defeated 70 - 410 by the Chudley Cannons. Spectators noted how the Puddlemere Chasers seemed distracted, and even manager Oliver Wood seemed unable to control his team. Despite a record-breaking season thus far, sponsors are considering the usefulness of Chaser Roxanne Weasley, who had twenty-five shots and only two goals._

_Both Mr Wood and Ms Weasley declined to comment, though Cannons manager Saxon Gloop said, "I do not believe Puddlemere was off form so much as my Cannons were simply wonderful. Nothing could stop our Keeper, Matt Bozer, from saving the Quaffle. I am quite impressed with him and thrilled with our well-deserved win."_

_While discussion will remain underway between Mr Wood and his sponsorship team, their next test will be this Wednesday against the Holyhead Harpies._

-Ginny Potter, Quidditch Correspondent to the _Daily Prophet _

* * *

"Seventeen Gryffindor Court," Roxanne said to her fireplace, trying not to sound too angry. After all, it wasn't the Floo Network or a house in Godric's Hollow she was upset with. She finished spinning and brushed the ash off her clothes, stepping into the kitchen and looking around cautiously as she made her way through the house. Upset as she was, she still felt slightly guilty for showing up on a Sunday unannounced. "Uncle Harry?" she asked as she reached his study.

He was hunched over at his desk, quill in hand. "Roxanne? What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Aunt Ginny," she replied, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"She should be in the living room. I'm sure she wouldn't mind the interruption; it's her day for doing chores." Without a formal goodbye, he returned to his paperwork. As she left, Roxanne had to keep herself from laughing. Uncle Harry could be so clueless sometimes; apparently he hadn't even tried to guess the reason for her appearance. Maybe he never read his wife's articles, she mused as she entered the living room.

"Aunt Ginny?"

"What is it?" She looked up from the laundry folding itself and her eyes fell when they met those of her niece. "Oh, Roxanne. It's you."

"So you know why I'm here, then? That's one better than your husband."

Ginny laughed nervously. "That's nothing to be surprised about, really." She paused, "Roxanne, I am so sorry."

Her apology stirred up Roxanne's latent anger, and she tried not to shout. "Then why did you write it in the first place? Why couldn't you just say we lost and leave it like that?"

"I did, Roxie. At least, that's the draft I turned in. Two sentences – the results of the game and that your next game is against the Harpies. That's all. It was my supervisor who did the rest - and published it under my byline without running the revisions by me."

Something in her aunt's eyes and tone of voice made Roxanne prone to believe her, and she unclenched her fists, sitting down on the sofa. "It still hurt seeing all that shit - sorry - about me as if you wrote it."

"I can only imagine. I meant to write you about it, but you certainly wasted no time in getting here."

Roxanne smiled. "I don't procrastinate much. If I'm going to do something, I'll do it immediately."

The women shared a smile, and Ginny started working on folding her laundry again. After a moment, though, she looked up. "I'm curious, though, Roxie. Just because I didn't want to say anything in the paper doesn't mean I didn't notice. I've never watched a game when you were off form before. Never."

Roxanne stared out the window that faced their quaint street. The Potters lived away from the center of town, away from the commemorative statues and - as far as Roxanne had picked up over the years - away from some real-life nightmares that still chased her uncle. It didn't matter, though, their reasons for staying away. This quiet neighborhood suited them. "Molly and I had a row right before I had to leave for warm-ups."

"About her own mention in the news?" Ginny asked, her eyes alight with understanding.

"Of course. I might have said a few things I didn't mean and I was worried - probably a bit too much - about how Wood was going to react."

Ginny grimaced and Roxanne remembered her aunt's own career as a Chaser. "Was it bad?"

Roxanne laughed. "It was Wood. He's always bad. I was actually surprised; he seemed more distracted than tyrannical. But so was I, I suppose."

"How's Molly holding up?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "When I got back from the game, she wasn't there, but half her clothes were thrown all over the floor. The other half were gone." Roxanne paused, remembering the chaos she had come home to. "She didn't even leave a note."

She couldn't meet her aunt's eye, instead doodling on the suede of the sofa - a Quaffle, a snail, a smiling face - until Ginny finally spoke again. "I'm sure she'll be all right. Maybe she's just with her parents. She might just need time alone."

"I miss her," Roxanne said, trying to write her name on the cushion. "She's my best friend and I really screwed it up. Although, I suppose she helped." She pulled her long legs to her chest, balancing awkwardly there. Nearly twenty-five years old and she had never felt so much like a little kid.

"You should write her," Ginny said.

"But I don't even know where she's staying!" Her aunt laughed and called their family owl into the room. Roxanne felt stupid; of course the owl would know. "Oh. Right. Well, do you have some parchment?"

* * *

Katie Wood was cleaning vigorously. If she paused and honestly considered the state of her house, she knew it really didn't need it, but cleaning was like therapy for her, so she did it without magic. Her hair pulled back, hands wrinkled from water, she barely noticed when the door opened and tentative footsteps made their way into the kitchen where she worked.

"Mum?" Katie turned to see her son poised awkwardly at the threshold, hair disheveled, face puffy. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Not at all, Daniel. My cleaning can wait." Using magic for the first time all day, she sent her supplies to the counter by the sink and pulled up a barstool next to her son. "Are you okay?"

"No, Mum, I'm not. I can't believe I thought Molly and I might make something work this time. I fancied her back when we were at Hogwarts, but she always seemed so far out of my league. This time, when I ran into her... I don't know. I was being naive, I guess. Trying to see the best in her. I should've known she wasn't over Lysander. He's a rock star, after all. What do I have to compete with that?"

"Oh, Daniel. You're worth so much more than her. If she can't see that, maybe she doesn't deserve you."

"You're my mum; it's your job to say that kind of thing."

"But I mean it, Daniel. When I saw that article... I just don't see how anyone could treat you that way. I'm sure one day she'll realize her mistake and come crawling back. Then you can have the honor of turning her down the way she deserves."

Katie didn't notice the way his eyes lit up at the idea of her returning; by the time she looked at him, his face had already fallen with the last of her words. "Yeah, I mean, maybe." A silence spread out between them and Katie returned to her work. But as she started, Daniel spoke again. "Mum?"

"Yeah?"

"What if I still love her? What if I want to love her whether she deserves it or not?"

Katie sighed, putting down her cleaning yet again. "Then you should love her. My parents tried to convince me that I shouldn't be with your dad. I even broke up with him for awhile."

"Granny didn't love dad at first?"

"Shocking now, isn't it? They get on great. She was afraid for me, afraid I would get buried under his Quidditch obsession. For a while, she was right. I was buried; he had just been promoted to the first team for Puddlemere from the reserves, and he very nearly forgot about me more often than I would have liked. But ending things between us... I felt so empty." Katie paused, trying to decide just how honest she would be with her son. "The advice I just gave you is what I thought you needed to hear. If it isn't, well, I didn't listen to my mum, either. Just remember one thing."

"What's that?"

"You could marry a saint, and I'm sure I wouldn't think she was good enough for you."

"Thanks, Mum. I think I'm going to head home." Katie tried to keep a smile on her face, but it was still hard for her to hear him refer to his own small flat, rather than their house, as his home. She returned to cleaning her already-spotless kitchen with gusto.

* * *

Molly Weasley was crying. She didn't want to be, certainly. It was all she'd done for the past twenty-four hours, as she packed her things for her parents' house, as she thought back over every relationship she'd managed to screw up in a matter of weeks. Though she was staying at his house, her father wouldn't talk to her; all her mother's attempts to reconcile them were in vain.

Receiving the note from Roxanne only made things worse, and Molly's tears were currently landing on Roxanne's small scrap of parchment, blurring the letters. She remembered her promise to her sister - that she would come back to try and patch things up - but the first thing she did was run away. At least the papers couldn't follow her every time she screwed something up, Molly thought with a kind of bitter satisfaction. Otherwise, they'd be publishing a minute-by-minute account of her life.

"Molly? Are you okay?" Her mum stood at the door, concern written all over her features. Molly simply looked up, allowing her tear-stained cheeks and red eyes to speak for her. "I didn't think so. What's wrong?"

"Roxanne just sent me a note," she replied, holding up the parchment, though the letters were blurred now.

Audrey took it and read it to herself, then pulled her daughter into a hug. "Why does her apology upset you?"

"Because I owe her one much more than she owed me one. I promised myself I would try and fix things, but instead I just ran to you and Dad. I didn't even tell Roxanne where I was going. I can't do anything right, Mum. Nothing at all."

"Mol, that's not true, and you know it. You're brilliant, smart, beautiful... you've just had a bad couple of weeks. Things will get better."

"Maybe," Molly replied, leaning against her mother's shoulder. "But they won't get better if I don't do anything about them first. Thank you for letting me stay here, but I can't run from my problems anymore. I think it's time I go back."

"Okay, sweetheart. But know that you're always welcome here."

Molly sniffed disbelievingly. "Dad doesn't seem to think so."

"Your father has some issues of his own to overcome. Give him time. And write me if you need anything, Mol. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mum. I'll do my best." She stuffed her clothes back into her rucksack by hand, conscious of her Muggle mother's presence, then gave her mum a quick hug. "Tell Dad I love him, too, please," she said before Disapparating back to her flat in London.

Roxanne was staring at a blank wall in the living room when Molly arrived, emotionless and tossing a replica Quaffle back and forth between her hands. She turned as Molly dropped the rucksack and stood up, facing her cousin with a confused look on her face. "I'm sorry," they said at the same time, and their family resemblance showed in their smiles.

"I screwed up so bad, Roxanne," Molly continued. "I was a jerk. I should have at least left a note when I left."

"It's okay, Mol. I shouldn't have been so harsh with you. I was self-centered when you needed me most and that was wrong. We're okay?"

"We're okay," Molly said, and felt like things were finally getting better. As she put away her clothes and even did their after-dinner dishes without asking, she knew she still had one more person to reconcile with, and that would likely be the most difficult.

"Roxie?"

"Yeah?"

"You haven't talked to Daniel by chance, have you?"

"Sorry, Mol. I haven't seen him."

"It's fine. I should probably write him, I imagine, rather than showing up at his flat unannounced?"

Roxanne laughed. "I think you're finally learning something."

Molly couldn't remove the smile from her face after receiving a note back from Daniel mere hours after her own owl had left. He agreed to see her the next day, take her out to a nice Muggle restaurant, and talk. She spent the twenty-four hours preceding their date giddy in anticipation, clothes once again strewn all over her room as she tried to decide what to wear. Thankfully, Roxanne was gone for the day. Molly knew how much teasing she would have received for her indecision if her cousin were around to witness it.

She decided on a sundress that flattered her tall frame and fixed her hair and makeup with only ten minutes to spare before Daniel was to arrive. She sat on the couch, then stood again, pacing about the room barefoot while she waited. He rang the doorbell precisely at seven o'clock and Molly answered it with a smile. He was wearing a Muggle suit, semi-formal in nature, and Molly was glad she had chosen a dress over her typical casual clothing.

"Daniel, I- I'm really glad to see you again. I've missed you."

"I missed you, too," he said, staring at his feet.

They held hands as they walked down the street, but it wasn't with the ease of their first few dates, and the silence between them was heavy. "Daniel, I owe you an apology - or several. I had no right to see Lysander without telling you, and the way I reacted to you hurting was wrong. I'm so sorry. It's been plaguing me."

Daniel squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, too. I overreacted. I spent a lot of time thinking what I would do if Bailee or another ex had contacted me. I probably would've seen her, too. The only difference, then, between you and me is that I don't have reporters trying to find out everything I do. That can't be easy, Molly."

She laughed self-consciously. "It isn't. Sometimes it tears me apart." As they neared the restaurant without further conversation, Molly's mind kept running around the idea of fame. She really did hate it, even if it was her entire family involved; no single Weasley or Potter was immune from it. But Daniel was, for now. "Are you sure you want to get pulled into it? Dating me seems like it will involve a lot of appearances in the gossip column, and you've seen what kind of damage that can do."

"Molly... it will be okay. I think you're worth it."

"Really?"

"Really," he said, stopping on the sidewalk and turning to face her. He stepped in close, and though Molly could guess what he was about to do, she hesitated for a moment. It seemed a sealing of their relationship, to kiss him, but a moment's thinking made her realize that was exactly what she wanted. She took a step forward as well and tilted her head. His lips met hers so sweetly, so gently, Molly could barely believe that this, too, was a kiss. Daniel's hand found the base of her neck, massaging her and sending shivers all over her body. Her arms wrapped around him as well, slowly pulling them closer together.

There was none of the urgency, the roughness that she was used to from her last relationship. She was glad about it; this tenderness was infinitely better. She was so wrapped up in his embrace, in finally getting to show him how she felt, that she didn't even hear the clicks of nearby cameras.


	6. Chapter 5 - How Nice That Is

**Hot Couple Kaesander Has Booked Their Venue! Drab or Fab?**

_An exclusive source revealed to _Witch Weekly_ that Kaelyn Finnigan has been enquiring at the gardens of Les Belles Fleurs for her wedding location. With her colours picked out as royal purple and silver, against the backdrop of the gardens of Les Belles, we are certain no bride will be more radiant than the future Mrs Scamander will be._

_Her dress has been chosen, the favours purchased, and the invitations are reportedly on their way. The wedding of the season is fast approaching! What do you think? Are gardens beautiful and timeless or a tired tradition of the twentieth century? Mail your responses to _Witch Weekly,_ address on inside cover, for a chance to be included in next week's editorials!_

- Parvati Patil, senior correspondent to _Witch Weekly_

* * *

Planning a wedding was harder work than she had ever imagined. Kaelyn knew, in theory, that she could charm her quill to address the invitations for her, but she tried it on a few and had to start over. Her parents wouldn't like receiving an invitation addressed to Mister and Missus Shaymus Fin Again; the damn quill had a think about spelling phonetically. Damn the English language, she thought as her hand cramped.

Lysander joined her, hair still wet from the shower, shirtless. She set down her quill to stare at him for a moment. All the pain was worth it to be called his wife one day soon. "Good afternoon, Ly."

"Afternoon already? I didn't mean to sleep in so long." He kissed her forehead, his hair draping over her back and getting her shirt wet. But she didn't mind; it meant having him close to her.

"It's fine, Lysander. I've just been writing out the invitations. If you have a few moments, I would love some help with it."

He shrugged. "I've got band practice soon, babe. Sorry!"

Kaelyn glowered at him, her mood suddenly changed. He had been shirking responsibilities for the whole of their engagement. She didn't remember his band practicing nearly so much _before_ she had things she needed help with. "Is this what it's going to be like, to be married to you? I'll do all the work and you'll just shrug and say that you have band practice? It wouldn't kill you to help, you know."

"It just might." Even in her anger, his smile made her melt. She wished he was less enticing; it would make staying upset much easier. "I haven't died from overwork yet, but why take the chance?"

"So this will be what we're like when married, then. I'll do all the work, you'll wink at me and disappear until dinner, and we'll shout at each other about it until the middle of the night?"

"You're leaving out the make-up sex," he said. "The make-up sex makes everything worth it." He leaned down and kissed her hard, wrapping a hand behind her neck and pulling her closer. She leaned into him, unable to find time to breathe. She lost herself in the kiss, hardly aware of anything. She dizzied in their attempt to find the bedroom, and when they got there, her shirt was off. Invitations could wait.

Her work couldn't wait forever, though, and when she pulled herself together, Kaelyn returned to the large pile of unaddressed purple envelopes. Being with Lysander had, unfortunately, reminded her of a bigger problem than the cramping in her hands. "Ly?" she called as he returned, finally dressed.

"Yes, baby?"

"What are we going to do about Molly?"

He slumped into the chair beside her, his grandeur and pompous attitude momentarily gone. This was when he seemed most like himself, and, if Kaelyn were honest, it was when she liked him most. "Molly. I'd forgotten."

She smiled. "I'm glad. But I still don't know what to do about her. Should we invite her or not?"

"Do you think she'll come?"

His voice sounded more hopeful than was probably appropriate. "You saw the tabloids, right? If she does, she'll probably bring Daniel Wood." She looked at him significantly, hoping he would understand all the nuances of the statement.

He stared at her unblinking, his eyebrows furrowed. The look reminded her that he was a musician, not an actor; he was overemphasizing bravery. "All the better," he said. "Let her bring him."

"So we'll invite them?"

"May as well." He kissed her cheek and left her to the invitations, finally getting ready for the band practice he originally said started an hour ago. Kaelyn wasn't sure if he was lying or late; both seemed equally likely.

But as much as the idea of having Molly at her wedding made her nervous, she was also relieved and very nearly excited about it. They had been such good friends at school. In a world that felt like a lifetime ago, but was actually only ten years, they had stayed up late in their dorms talking about weddings, insisting on being bridesmaids for each other.

It was too late for that, now. Molly skyrocketed to fame and left her behind, just like Lysander would later do. The difference between them was that Lysander came back. A small part of her knew she hadn't helped her friendship with Molly. At the first hint of Molly's fame, Kaelyn clung to her side and smiled for the cameras, trying to tag along wherever she went. Suddenly, Molly stopped writing, stopped seeking out her company.

In her darkest moments, Kaelyn knew it was her own fault. Now that she found fame on Lysander's arm, she understood why Molly had done it, and she wanted to apologize. She knew sending the invite alone wouldn't look like an apology. It would look like she was rubbing her pending marriage to Molly's ex in her face. Something else needed to be done.

She painstakingly addressed Molly's envelope, then took a spare piece of silver parchment from beside her and sat down to write an explanatory note.

The note finished, she left the stack of invitations for later, vowing to finish and mail them the next morning. But when she returned to the pile, the invitation addressed to Molly - and the note that went with it - were both gone.

* * *

Molly was beginning to realize that whatever she had with Lysander wasn't really love. It was explosive, it was full of chemistry and fireworks and excitement, but that's all it was. Love was the quiet feeling she got when sitting across from Daniel Wood; it was the way his eyes lit up when he saw her. It was the simplicity of feeling like she had nothing to prove.

Love was both more simple and more complicated than she expected it to be. It was easy, being with him. Eating breakfast together and laughing over stupid things. The way he reached across the table to wipe food off her face. But it was complicated, too, in that the sparks she was used to were minuscule in comparison. A steady flame, rather than a fire that was quick to light, but also quick to die.

He all but lived at the flat with Roxie and her. Roxie, thankfully, was gracious about it, and accepted him into her life. This morning, he was there, still asleep in Molly's bed. She woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, so she was reading at the breakfast table. Daniel would be awake soon. He worked for Gringotts and needed to be there by nine.

The sun came through the window and brought with it an owl. It was Lysander's, but it didn't bring flutters to her stomach. Her only feeling was closer to pity. Why would he be writing?

But the elaborate purple envelope was addressed in Kaelyn's careful handwriting. _Oh_. She hadn't been expecting an invitation to their wedding; now that it was here, things felt different. It would take more than a moment to decide whether or not she wanted to go. Molly peeled back the wax seal and two pieces of parchment fell out.

The first was an overdone invitation - elaborate script, expensive paper... That much was expected for what the papers were calling the wedding of the season. But the small silver parchment beside it looked like scrap paper. She picked it up and saw the handwriting was not Lysander's scrawl, but a hastened version of Kaelyn's.

_Molly_,

_I know the past year must have been hard for you. An apology probably doesn't mean much, but here it is anyway: I'm sorry. Not just about Lysander, either, but I am sorry about that, too. I mean, this past year, I've learned more than I wanted to about being famous. I didn't realise... I mean, it's not all fun and games._

_This isn't coming out like I want it to, but I miss you, Molly. I would love to have you at the wedding. You're welcome to bring Daniel, of course. And if you want to meet sooner, catch up... well, you know how to find me._

_Love,_

_Kaelyn_

"What's that?" Daniel stretched, still in his dressing gown.

"It's a wedding invitation."

"Kaelyn and Lysander invited you?" he asked, kissing her cheek.

"No, they invited _us_."

He looked over her shoulder. "What's that? A handwritten invitation? That doesn't seem right, what with the wedding of the century or whatever they're calling it."

"Wedding of the _season_, and no, it's just a note from Kaelyn." She handed it over for him to read, but a second page dropped out behind it that must have been sticking to its back.

"What's _that_ paper then?" he asked, taking Kaelyn's note.

"No idea." Molly picked up the dropped page, and recognized it before the words made any sense. "Oh. It's from Lysander." She quickly skimmed it. "What?! Daniel, I thought you asked me not to keep secrets, but you're keeping your own?"

"What are you talking about? Give me the note."

"No. You should know what's written here, and I want you to tell me." Her cheeks flushed with the heat of anger and her eyes were already threatening tears.

"You're just trying to hide something from me, aren't you? Something he said about you."

"No, I'm not. I'm trying to hide something he said about _you_."

"Lysander doesn't have any secrets about me, so I don't see what the big deal is."

"It's not _Lysander_ who had this secret."

Daniel's face drew close in frustration, but suddenly his muscles relaxed and his voice was, all things considered, surprisingly calm. "He told you about Kaelyn?"

His calm was contagious and she nodded. "Yeah, he did."

"He had no right to tell you."

"Maybe not. But I should have already known. Didn't you think it might be relevant? Your first serious girlfriend and my last serious boyfriend are getting married in a few months and now we're invited."

Daniel sat suddenly in the chair, his head in his hands. Molly followed and burrowed her way to sitting onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm not upset," she said. "Not anymore. I just want to know why you kept a relationship with Kaelyn from me."

He shrugged. "It didn't seem important. It's been over a long time - that was fourth year. I thought you knew about it, anyway."

"I was a bit preoccupied that year," Molly said, smiling.

"I remember. Michael Goldstein, wasn't it?" Molly blushed. "Anyway, what's it matter? It's just a wedding. We'll go to the next one."

"What do you mean, it's just a wedding? It's probably the only one they'll have. Lysander was a good friend of mine as a kid. Like, a long time ago, when we were seven or eight, we used to play at the Burrow together. I feel like I would be letting down that version of myself if I didn't go."

"That version of yourself grew up to date him, Molly. That version of yourself doesn't exist anymore."

"That's not true, Daniel, and you know it. Do you remember being seven? Eight?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you remember what it was like to spend time with your dad then? Wasn't he still playing?"

"I never saw him. Mum and I stayed home most of the time, and usually alone."

"But now it never affects you because you aren't seven anymore. Your dad's around and you get on just fine."

"What are you talking about? Of course that's not true-" He cut himself off. "Oh."

Molly got up from his lap, kissing his forehead as she moved. She sat in her own chair across from him. "I feel like there are all different versions of ourselves that live inside. In a way, I'm still the me I was at three, five, seventeen... Not often, but they're there. I mean, sometimes they matter, you know?" She paused, and laughed at herself, disheartened. "I'm making a fool of myself, aren't I?"

He laughed, but he didn't seem like he was making fun. "Go on, Molly. I'm curious. And I feel like this is the most you I've ever seen you be. Pretenses gone. I imagine you wouldn't go giving this information out at an interview?"

"Never. And if you ever sell it..."

"I won't. But I want to know what else you have to say."

She shrugged, self-conscious. "Mum used to talk about it. She said, 'I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger. Those mistakes shaped me, and I changed for the better. But the person inside me who was capable of making those mistakes never left.' My mum very nearly married someone else - another Muggle - when she was eighteen. She left him standing at the altar."

"I thought that only happened in stories."

"Apparently not. Mum said she couldn't bring herself - her whole self, past, present, and future - to say 'I do' to that man. She knew the person she was at nine, ten, would be disappointed and that child inside of her knew she could do better.

"So she ran away. And ran right into an awkward redhead named Percy Weasley."

"Where in the world would a posh Muggle woman meet your father?"

"A cafe, actually. He was trying to make up with Granddad after the war, and Granddad insisted he try the tea at that little Muggle shop. Mum was there in her wedding dress and Dad was there in robes. Apparently it was the outfits that got them talking."

"Quite the odd couple, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but they love each other. Mum says on the day they got married, she knew she was marrying him with her whole self."

Daniel looked at her, his face pensive. "If you were to marry me today, would you be able to marry me with your whole self?"

"Daniel! We've barely been going out for - I mean, it's hardly the time to discuss-"

"Just answer the question."

Molly looked down and bit her lip. "No, probably not. But if we go to the wedding, I think it will help."

"You think seeing him marry someone else will suddenly change any feelings you still have for him?"

"I don't know. I think so. At the very least I'll have that image in my mind of him in dress robes, getting married to someone who isn't me. And it's Kaelyn's wedding, too. We were once good friends, you know."

"In third year, Molly. You're twenty-three. It's time you grew up." He looked up at the clock. "Anyway, I'm already late for work and I'm not even ready yet."

He came back out of her bedroom within five minutes, looking presentable enough, and left her a quick kiss on the lips. Molly tried to deepen it, but he pulled away. "I'm late. See you tonight, maybe."

"Maybe?" she asked, but was answered only by the _pop_ of his Disapparation.


	7. Chapter 6 - Start to Talk

**Kaelyn Finnigan and Molly Weasley Shopping Together in Muggle London**

_Supposed enemies, Kaelyn and Molly, both 23, were seen shopping together in high-end Muggle London shops, a source confides. "They were talking and laughing together like old friends. I hadn't seen them say a word to each other since their blow up a few years ago."_

_Another source confirms they spent the whole of Wednesday together, stopping for coffee in mid-afternoon and going to a chipper for dinner (see photo spread, page 4). "They seemed old chums," says another source. "I didn't know them in school, but you could knock me over with a poke of a lame wand to say they hadn't spoken in years."_

_"I overheard them complaining about Lysander. I wouldn't be surprised if the wedding's off." Certain sources are suspecting a romantic relationship between Kaelyn and Molly will be the undoing of Kaesander. Regardless, the perfect high-profile romance looks like it's about to get messy._

- Rita Skeeter, freelance journalist for _Witch Weekly_

* * *

Oliver Wood made his way into the changing room before practice and was greeted by the seething voice of Roxanne Weasley. "I swear that woman is _trying_ to get herself in trouble. Does she not want good things to happen to her? Every time things start going right again, she goes off and does something stupid. Of course, it doesn't help with the press documenting every time she sneezes, but still. She should know better than to spend her time with Kaelyn!"

Oliver paused at the door. It was time to start his pre-warm-up motivation speech, but he couldn't help but be interested in what Roxanne had to say. Her rant about Molly had everything to do with Daniel, after all, and therefore to do with him. He stayed quiet.

"Better Kaelyn than Lysander, though. I was afraid _they_ were going to get all chummy. I guess there's still a chance she's using her to get to Lysander. I wouldn't put it past her sometimes, even though it's obvious she loves Daniel. She tries to play it like Lucy is the manipulative one, but they aren't as dissimilar as she sometimes pretends. And all this right after she gets Daniel, too. She's twenty-three for Merlin's sake. I wish she'd act like it!"

Roxanne turned around and saw Oliver standing there and she averted her eyes as quickly as they met. "Oh, um, hi."

He gave her one long stare, but said nothing except, "Time for practice."

As they flew laps around the field, then met in the middle for a quick round of Pass the Quaffle complete with various requirements barked out at random - "Upside down, next time, Zeller! With your left hand, Weasley!" - Oliver's heart wasn't in it.

He was still going over Roxanne's angry words to her teammate in the changing room earlier. Oliver knew his son was an adult, and he trusted him to make his own decisions. But having him get involved with a Weasley made him nervous. He loved the Weasleys, of course. The lot of them. He and Percy had even once been close, a lifetime ago at Hogwarts. But their fame was disconcerting, and recently, it was proving dangerous.

Getting involved with Molly Weasley meant getting his life plastered onto the front pages. It meant background searches and stories about long-forgotten misadventures. Percy and Oliver hadn't spoken, not really, since Percy chose the Ministry over his family. Eventually, if Molly and Daniel stayed together, they would be in-laws. And a small part of Oliver wasn't yet ready to confront it, wasn't yet ready to deal with some of the hateful things he said when Percy left - or when Percy came back.

So for now, Oliver threw himself into his work. His players had never pushed harder, and at the end of their training, they drug their broomsticks to the changing room like they were making their way toward hell.

He had worked them hard; he understood this and felt for them. But it was for their own good. They had lost the last two games they played and needed the training to do win.

"Coach Wood?" Daisy asked, trading her Quidditch shoes for trainers.

"Yeah, Zeller?"

"Could you please stop taking your personal life out on us?"

"This has nothing to do with my personal life," he barked defensively. "It has to do with your losing streak. We're Puddlemere! We're better than this!"

"It's not just you that's having problems off the field," she said, ignoring him. "We all are. Quidditch is supposed to be the place where we forget ourselves for awhile and have fun. You aren't letting us do that."

"What do you want me to do, then? Have some kind of therapy session where we pass the Quaffle and talk about our feelings?"

"It wouldn't hurt," Roxanne said, and there was a murmur of agreement.

"Fine. Thursday's practice we'll talk about our feelings or whatnot. But don't think it won't be hard work!" he added over the cheering. "We won't be _talking_ about our feelings. We'll be _conquering_ them. Now go home and get some rest."

Rest. It was exactly what he needed, but Oliver hadn't been sleeping well. Not for weeks, or months, even. Katie had been worried. Just last night she had woken up sometime after midnight and found him in the sitting room, hand on his heads.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," he said curtly. "I mean no. I'm worried about Daniel."

"So am I," she said, "but I've talked to him about her, Oliver. He really loves her." She climbed behind him and began massaging his shoulders.

"That's what worries me."

"What about him being in love with her worries you? The fame? The tabloids? He would still get some of that because of you anyway."

"It isn't the fame," he admitted, but hadn't fully realized it until the words were out of his mouth. "I know, despite everything Rita has to say about her, that Molly is a good girl." Looking back now, after Roxanne's comments this afternoon, Oliver wasn't so sure. But fifteen hours earlier, he had been.

Katie leaned around and kissed his cheek. "Then what is it?"

"It's Percy, Katie."

She moved from behind him and sat beside him on the couch, perplexed. "Percy? You were friends at school."

"We were," he said. "But the row we got in when Percy decided to stay with the Ministry instead of with his family... we haven't spoken since."

"What does that have to do with Daniel and Molly?"

"If they marry, well, Percy and I will practically be related. I don't know if I could handle that yet. There were things said- regrets I have..."

"Can't we just cross that bridge when we get to it?" Katie asked.

"I don't know, Kate. I just don't know."

After Quidditch practice, he didn't go straight home. Instead, he went to the Gringotts offices where Daniel worked and found him there.

"Dad? What are you doing here? And just after practice?"

"It was quicker than sending an owl. You'll be off soon, right?"

Daniel glanced about the piles of paperwork cluttering his desk. "I should be. Why?"

"I want you to come over for dinner."

"I was supposed to meet Molly-"

"Send an owl. I'm sure she'll understand."

He sighed. "Okay. I'll finish up here and meet you at your house in thirty minutes or so?"

"See you then, Daniel. It will be nice to have the table full again."

He smiled. "It will."

The dinner conversation went remarkably well at first. Oliver was determined to save the subject of Molly for as long as he could, and they discussed work instead. "I'm hoping for a promotion soon," Daniel said. "I've been doing the same damn desk job for five years and it doesn't pay enough to, well, to support a family."

Katie looked at Oliver meaningfully before returning her attention to her son. "Support a family?"

He blushed under the weight of his mother's stare. "You know, one day. In the future."

"You're honestly thinking about a family with Molly Weasley?" Oliver said. It was not how he intended to broach the subject, but it would have to do. "You haven't been together more than a few months - and most of them Molly's been in the papers gallivanting with that rock star and his slutty girlfriend!"

"That _slutty girlfriend_ is my ex, Dad. And you would know that if you ever gave me the time of day in the last ten years. Why are you so interested in my personal life all of a sudden? You didn't care when I moved out, or got a job, or when Bailee and I started dating. Or when we broke up." He slammed his fork against the table. "That was Mum, Dad. It was always Mum who cared. You paid enough interest in me until you realized I was never going to be good at Quidditch and I was never going to enjoy it. Then you may as well have abandoned me altogether for how much you cared."

Oliver could feel the veins bursting out of his neck. The words stung - and deep. His heart and stomach felt their veracity, but his boiling blood was already shouting. "How dare you speak to me that way? I am your father, Daniel. Your father! Have you forgotten that? You have no right-"

"Oliver! Daniel!" Katie was standing now, too, dwarfed between the heights of her husband and her son. "Stop it! Sit down already and have this discussion like adults, or don't have it at all."

"Fine by me," Daniel said. "We don't have to have it at all." He got up from the table, dinner only half-eaten, and made his way toward the door.

With a reach that proved his time as a top-form Keeper, Oliver reached out and took Daniel's arm. His voice had calmed when he spoke. "Wait. Please. I want to warn you about Molly."

"I saw the article about her and Kaelyn. She went with my blessing."

"This isn't about that."

Daniel, who had been straining against Oliver's grasp, went slack and stopped fighting. "Then what's it about?"

"Can we go to the sitting room and chat civilly for once?"

"I could manage."

They walked together, and Oliver turned one look back to the dining room, where Katie still sat picking at her food, looking tense. She gave him a look that said _be careful_ and he nodded.

"I, well, I overheard Roxanne in the changing room today before practice. I know it was wrong to listen, but she was ranting and hadn't noticed me. It took a minute before I realized who she was talking about, but when I had, it worried me."

"Roxanne has a temper on her sometimes," Daniel said. "Surely _you_ can understand that."

"She seemed like she meant it, though. Said that Molly needed to grow up and start acting like an adult. That she didn't realize what she had with you. She said - she said Molly's only using you to make Lysander jealous."

"That's a lie," Daniel said, and his confidence shot Oliver's. Because it was. Or, at the very best, it was stretching the truth so thin it was translucent. But there were bigger things at stake than truth and falsehood.

"I heard her, Daniel! Roxanne said Molly is using you. She doesn't love you. She just wants a date to bring to the wedding to make Lysander jealous." This lie made his stomach turn, but Oliver did his best to ignore it. From the way Roxanne was ranting - and Molly was Roxanne's best friend - Daniel deserved far better.

His son's face was flaring with an anger Oliver recognized. Oliver didn't pass down his love for Quidditch; he passed on his temper. Oliver and Daniel hadn't fought since he was a kid. Probably, Oliver realized, because of how little they spoke during Daniel's adolescence. Nonetheless, the last time they squared off was as father and son. This time felt like man to man. But despite the anger in his face, Daniel's breathing was long and steady. Maybe Daniel was the better person, able to control his temper. It seemed to pain him to speak. "Are you sure, Dad? Absolutely positive?"

Oliver didn't trust himself with words. He nodded.

Daniel paused, too. He and Oliver were the same height, and too close for Oliver's comfort. His son stared him in the eyes, searching them. Remorse crept its way into Oliver's countenance, but not enough to change his mind, and not enough for his son to notice. If Daniel really loved that woman, it was all the more important for Oliver to step in. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Daniel simply said, "Okay. Thanks for telling me. I should really be getting home."

Katie rushed into the room with a pile of leftovers and things for Daniel to take with him. "Please try to come by more," she said, as if the confrontation hadn't happened at all. "I've missed you."

He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I missed you too, Mum. Thanks for the food. It was delicious."

"Any time, dear. Any time."

Daniel Disapparated without ceremony and without acknowledging his father. Katie moved to her husband's side and stroked his arms, then wrapped her own around his neck. "Are you sure you did the right thing, dear?"

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I hope so."

* * *

A/N: Thanks everyone for putting up with sporadic updates. I've entered this in a competition where I must upload weekly, so we should have the end of the story before September!

Thanks to teddylupin-snape for the word war and to ktoo for the Beta help!


	8. Chapter 7 - We Walk

**Wanted: Curse Breaker**

_Do you wish to get away from the petty problems of British life? Are you looking for a career that is as rewarding as it is exciting? Gringotts is hiring a curse breaker for Egyptian tombs. This could be the job for you! Some experience in finance recommended. Please send your CV to Gringotts attention Bill Weasley. The next group of curse breakers is leaving in only three days, so don't hesitate! Apply now!_

* * *

Molly was getting worried. Everything had been wonderful only a day ago. She and Kaelyn had reconnected like there wasn't ten years and a fight distancing them from the last time they were friends. And finally everything was going right with Daniel. As he began to understand where she was coming from with Kaelyn and Lysander, she needed him to understand less and less. Lysander was fading from importance in her mind, because she was in love with Daniel.

But he sent an owl last night shirking dinner with her and hadn't spoken with her since. He cancelled all their plans and left her hanging in the balance.

"Roxie?" she asked as she moved about the kitchen preparing dinner.

"What?" Her cousin was just coming out of her bedroom, throwing a jumper on over pyjamas, her long hair still wet from a shower. "Dinner ready yet?"

"No. I was just thinking about Daniel. He hasn't talked to me at all in the last day or so. He cancelled dinner plans and hasn't said a word to me since."

Roxanne's confident gaze dropped until she looked like a guilty child. "When did Daniel cancel your dinner plans, exactly?"

Molly paused, trying to remember what time she had seen his owl come in. "Just before you got home, I think. Why?" She stirred the soup, lifted up the spoon to taste it, and added a pinch of salt to the pot.

"Before practice started yesterday, I might have said a few things I didn't mean - you know how I can get when I'm upset. So I ranted a little to Daisy Zeller about the time you spent with Kaelyn, and I think Oliver heard."

"What's that have to do with Daniel and me?"

Roxanne bit her lip, then sat down at their small kitchen island. "Well, _I_ was overreacting, and Oliver heard me, and he usually overreacts, too. So he was overreacting to my overreaction and it wouldn't surprise me, after the way he handled practice, if he went straight to Daniel for something."

"What is it, then, that Oliver thinks? He doesn't believe the dumb article about Kaelyn and I being _together_ together, does he?"

"I don't know what he thinks, Molly. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything at practice."

"Really, Rox? You think so? Maybe you should have thought so before you opened your mouth about it. Watch the soup, will you? I need to write Daniel."

Roxanne piled her wet hair on a knot on her head and took over at the stove, while Molly made her way to the table to write.

_Daniel,_

_I don't know what your dad told you, but we should talk about it in person. Please come over as soon as you can - we made soup and you're welcome to it if you're here before it's gone._

_Please come, Daniel. I don't want to lose you over something your dad said Roxanne said I said - or however it happened._

_Yours,_

_Molly_

She popped a treat in her owl's mouth and sent him off immediately for Daniel's. He appreciated her cooking, so having the pot of soup on the stove tilted the odds in her favor. Sure enough, Roxanne had barely dished out two bowlfuls before the doorbell rang at their flat.

Daniel stood at the threshold, looking at his feet as he shifted his weight back and forth between them. Molly leaned in for a hug and a kiss, but he stepped back just enough. "Daniel? Is everything okay? Come inside a minute."

"All right, but I can't stay long."

"Just tell me what's going on. Please. I want to work it out. And you're welcome to some soup, of course."

"No, thank you." He didn't sound like himself. His words came out stiff and awkward, like they were prompted by someone else.

"Are you sure? You don't sound like yourself." They moved to the couch and sat down together. Molly reached for his hand and clasped it lightly, and while he didn't push her away, he made no attempt to return the favor.

"I didn't come because of your note, Molly. I would have come anyway."

She smiled. "I'm glad! I was getting worried. We haven't gone so long without speaking since before we were together."

Her turned to her, his eyes set like steel, like his father's. His mouth was a straight line. Not a single muscle on his face showed evidence of any emotion - negative or positive. "I got a promotion. Or, rather, I requested to switch departments."

"Congratulations!" she said, although it sounded forced even to her. She knew they could work through any schedule changes he had. This was deeper than that.

"I don't know how to say this eloquently, so I guess I'll just say it. I took a job as a curse breaker. In Egypt."

"But- but- you can't do that! Things were finally going well between us. I am falling in love with you, and you are leaving the country?! Think about _us!_"

"All I've thought about for the past few months is us, Molly. But not you. You've thought about me some, but you're still in love with Lysander. Admit it! You're just using me to get back at him."

"_That's_ what you think? Who in hell would give you that impression? Oh. Merlin, no. Roxanne!" she shouted.

Her cousin made her way into the room, bowl of soup in hand. "What?"

"Oliver heard you say that I'm _using_ Daniel to get back at Lysander? Really? That's a low blow, Roxie. I don't care how angry you were."

"I never said that!"

"Then what did my father hear? Nargles fogging up his brain again?"

"Either he heard what he wanted to hear or he lied to you, because I didn't say that, Daniel. You have to believe me. Molly can be dumb sometimes. I don't think going around London with Kaelyn was the brightest of ideas she's had. But I also don't think she's using you. Really, I don't."

"This is a problem between you and your father, Daniel. See? So you can just turn down the job in Egypt and stay here. We can get through this. I _want_ to get through this. I've been doing some thinking, and I think, if it's really what you wanted, that I could marry you soon." Molly moved close to Daniel, who stood stiffly between the cousins, his face confused. She took his hands in hers and he didn't pull away. "I love you, Daniel."

He closed his eyes, his breaths coming deep and steady. "It's too late, Molly. I already signed the contract."

"Un-sign it! Tell him something came up!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Tell Bill Weasley something came up?"

Molly felt her cheeks heating. "Oh. I forgot it would be him. How long -"

"The contract is for a year. After that, I don't know."

She blinked hard and fast, trying to keep the water in her eyes from spilling over, but it wasn't working. "So are we over? Have I ruined it?"

Before he could answer, though, a body came tumbling out of the fireplace, covered in ash and looking skinnier than Molly had ever seen her. "Sis, I need you."

"Lucy? What happened?" Any thoughts Molly had about her love life paled in comparison to seeing Lucy show up like this. She knelt beside her sister, whose sunken cheeks were stained with tear tracks.

Lucy coughed. "I need you."

"What happened? What's wrong?"

"Come to Ireland with me, please. I will tell you there." Lucy looked around Molly's living room for the first time since she arrived and Molly followed her sister's eyes. Roxanne was, to her dismay, still standing in the doorway. Daniel had backed up and was now sitting stiffly on the couch. "Oh, Molly, is this a bad time?"

Molly sighed and looked first at her cousin, then at her - well, she wasn't sure what Daniel was to her anymore. "Are you really in trouble?"

"I am."

"Then there's no such thing as a bad time. You're still at the Cauldron O'Gold?"

"Yeah."

"Head back for now. I'll meet you there in ten minutes, okay?" Molly didn't care that they were in their twenties. As she helped her sister to her feet, she leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, and I'm here for you. I will be there soon."

It took Lucy several seconds to calm her crying face and shout out into the fireplace where she wanted to go. Molly stared at the fireplace for a few moments after her sister left, trying to figure out what exactly happened. Then, slowly, she turned toward the couch.

Daniel had already gotten up, though, and despite their earlier conversation, he wrapped his arms around her. "So you're going to Ireland, then?"

"I guess I am. And you're going to Egypt."

He nodded. "I don't want to say goodbye, Molly."

"Okay."

Daniel kissed her forehead and walked out of the door without another word. Molly stared after him, unfeeling, for countless moments, before finally realizing that Roxanne was watching her. "Molly? Are you going to be okay?"

"This is a lot to take in at once. But I think so. I should pack, though."

As she walked past her cousin, Roxanne's arm caught her and pulled her into a hug. At first, Molly was stiff in her cousin's arms; they weren't the type for affection, normally. But finally she let herself relax.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Mol. You're a strong woman. You can get through everything with Daniel and still help Lucy. I know you can. And if you need anything - I'm an owl or a Floo away, okay?"

"Okay," she said, and pulled away. Inside her room, a traveling bag open, she began to throw in random articles of clothing - enough to last a month or more. Nothing, really, was tying her to England. She could stay in Ireland for as long as her sister needed her. Or until she realized she was screwing things up for Lucy, too, the way she'd screwed everything up in her own life. But Molly knew she couldn't afford the kind of pessimism she wanted to have.

In Ireland fifteen minutes later, she found Lucy sprawled out on the dingy twin bed under the window in her room. "Luce?"

"You came."

"Of course I did. You needed me." Molly went to her sister's side and helped her up, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. "That's what sisters are for."

"What happened with Daniel?"

"It doesn't matter now. It was bound to happen eventually. What happened to you?"

Lucy took her time replying. "Living here is bullshit. I was lying to myself to think that I could be here on my own."

Molly couldn't help but chuckle. "You aren't the type to have existential crises. Something brought this on."

"Remember Declan?"

"Half-naked man in your room the first time I was here? A bit hard to forget."

Lucy glared at her sister, and by the way her facial muscles twitched, Molly knew she was trying hard to stay angry. "Be serious, Molly."

"Okay. What about Declan?"

"Married. Two kids. And _three_ mistresses."

"Oh, Lucy," Molly said. She didn't know what else to add, and Lucy volunteered no more information. In the morning, she wasn't sure which one of them cried first, just that soon they both were, and they cried themselves to sleep, cramped beside each other on the same twin-sized bed.


	9. Chapter 8 - Almost

_**Wizards and Wrackspurts**_** Perform Last Concert Before Lead Singer Gets Hitched**

_Everyone's favourite wizarding band,_ Wizards and Wrackspurts_, set their last tour stop for Swansea, Wales. The sold-out concert played such classics as the ballad _I Must Have Drank Some Felix the Day I Met You_, and a heart-rending rendition of _The Day I Saw a Nargle. _Crowd pleasers included a punk-rock cover of _A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love_ and the _Wrackspurts' _original _I'd Fight a Dragon for Your Kiss.

_Lead singer Lysander Scamander is getting married in just a week. In an interview earlier today, he said, 'I'll be taking two weeks off from our band to spend time with my new wife. I know it is a sacrifice for our fans, but it is one I'm willing to make for the love of my life.' He mentioned that the European leg of his tour, set to kick off in just a month, remains on schedule._

- Rose Malfoy, Junior Editor for the _Daily Prophet_

* * *

Lucy woke up sweating, unsure of where she was. Before she opened her eyes, she panicked, her heart rate speeding up as place after place went through her mind of where she might be. Her room at the Cauldron O'Gold was never this warm. But she opened her eyes to see the dingy plaster walls of her room, so familiar now. Then why was she so warm?

She propped herself up on an elbow and turned around. _Oh._ Beside her, pressed close and sweating too, was the body of her sister. Looking at Molly brought back her memories from the nightmare yesterday had been. Molly didn't even know the half of it yet, but she came. Lucy smiled. Despite everything, it was nice knowing her sister loved her enough to come like this.

Molly yawned and rolled over, rubbing her eyes. "Lucy? Where am I?" She yawned as she sat up and looked around. "Never mind, I remember now. So, what's going on?"

Lucy wasn't ready to tell her, not yet. She'd made too many dumb decisions that wouldn't be fun to own up to. "Let's eat breakfast first, okay? My treat."

"Don't you eat for free?"

She smiled. "Exactly. My treat." Breakfast wasn't lasting long enough, though, and Lucy felt her sister getting impatient. She picked at her food, hoping to draw out the time they spent in a public space. It didn't work.

"So. You drag me out of England because you're in trouble. Is there more to it than just Declan's-"

"Shut up! I'm not supposed to talk about it down here. Let me finish eating and we'll go back upstairs." Against her wishes, she finished quickly, and soon found herself sitting cross-legged on the bed opposite her tired but eager-looking sister.

"It's not just because of Declan's wife," she said finally. "I mean, that was sort of the end-all for our relationship, but, well, there's a reason he brought it up."

"Wait - you didn't catch him cheating? He _told_ you?"

She nodded. "And showed me pictures of his kids. I know what you're thinking, Molly. He wasn't lying. It was just a convenient fact for the situation."

"_What_ situation?"

"Molly, please don't judge me. I know I made enough dumb decisions for a lifetime. You don't have to remind me."

"I won't. Just let me know what's wrong."

"Declan was feeling distant from me. I knew I was already losing him, so I - I told him I was pregnant."

"Lucy! Are you?"

She shook her head, slowly, and it loosened her tears. "I thought I could keep him if he had a reason to stay. That's when he showed me the kids he already has. Told me he was married."

She couldn't say everything that happened. Not out loud. Not even to Molly. Because he had taken her by the shoulders and held them tight and said, "Well, you really fucked things up this time, didn't you?" He shoved her against the bed and stormed out of the room. He hadn't come back. She didn't expect him to.

"Oh, Lucy." Molly pulled her sister close, but at first she resisted. Lucy knew she didn't deserve that kind of affection. Declan was right. She'd fucked everything up - not by getting pregnant, but by feeling like she needed to lie about it.

Even after giving in to Molly's affection, Lucy felt guilty for her pity. "What happened with Daniel?"

Molly drew a deep breath, and Lucy rose against her chest. "He's going to Egypt." Over the next ten minutes, Molly let her know everything that had gone wrong.

"Shit, Molly. Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged. "I knew you had your own problems. Why would you want to hear mine?"

"Because you're my sister. I do care about you, you know."

"I'm glad. I care about you, too. But I have Roxie and you had no one. I didn't want to bother you."

"You're here now. How long are you going to stay?"

"I don't know, Luce." Molly shrugged, then pulled away, getting out of bed and pacing across the stone floor. "England has nothing for me. I mean, our parents are there, and Roxie. So that's good. But so are Lysander and Kaelyn, sometimes, and that's bad. And Daniel... well, he's in Egypt so I guess I don't have to be in Ireland to run from him. But you're here. But how well will we get along after a week or two? I mean, you know I love you but we fight something awful."

Lucy hadn't thought about that. "We're really different, aren't we." It wasn't a question. They had known each other too long for it to be a question.

Molly seemed to know there was no point in answering. "The only person I want to hide from is probably already in Egypt. I want to go back, Lucy. And I think I want to go to the wedding."

Lucy, who had been slumped over her legs in thought, bolted upright. "You want to go to _the_ wedding?"

"Yeah, I think I do. But I'll need a date." She was smiling again.

"I think I've been needing an excuse to get out of this shithole. In fact, I'm not sure I'll be coming back to Ireland at all."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course not." She paused. "When's the wedding?"

"In a week."

"Then I guess I have a week to decide," she said, and began to pack her belongings from the meager room.

* * *

Kaelyn paced across the pristine floors of their kitchen, a rolling pin swinging menacingly from her hand. "We are getting married in _a week, _Lysander Xenophilius Scamander. One. Week. What the hell are you going on about?"

"Merlin, Kaelyn. Planning a wedding has made you a real hag, you know that?"

"I'm not the one writing love letters to my ex!"

He made his way across the kitchen gingerly. He turned off his anger in exchange for bedroom eyes, but Kaelyn's determination to stay angry never wavered. "Shh, Kaelyn. You're exaggerating. You're just nervous about the wedding. I know it's stressing you out. Can we just talk about it?"

Every slow breath expanded her rib cage to its full extent, but she calmed enough to lower the rolling pin. "Fine. Talk."

She slumped unceremoniously into a bar stool and he sat across from her, his stiff posture a sharp contrast to hers. "Weddings are forever. Marriages are forever. It's only prudent to make sure we're doing the right thing, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," she conceded. "But you aren't the prudent type. What are you _really_ thinking about?"

He shrugged, looking like his mother in introspection. "Soul mates. Do you think we were made to be with just one person? That something clicks when you meet them that you can never have with someone else?"

"You're thinking about Molly," Kaelyn accused.

"I'm thinking about relationships in general. And us. Are you sure?"

"Honestly? No. I'm not sure. But do I have to be? I love you, Lysander. I want to be with you, and I want to make it work. That's what a relationship is. Not that mumbo-jumbo about soul mates and perfection. And if that's what you're after, I can guarantee you won't be getting it from me." She got up and started pacing, never actually looking at him, her braid swinging at her sharp pivots when she turned.

"You don't think there are relationships that just... work on their own? It's about _making_ one work?"

Lysander sounded honestly confused, and it stopped Kaelyn's determined pacing. "I've never had a relationship that worked without working. But no one - _no one_ - has made me want to try as hard as you do." She turned to him and as she studied him she felt her love pushing against her cheekbones and welling up beneath her eyelids, but his eyes didn't match her intensity. He looked... nostalgic. "Lysander?"

He didn't answer her, still looking at her, but not exactly seeing her.

"You think you had that with Molly."

Lysander couldn't meet her eyes. "Yeah. I do. We were friends. It was easy. Loving her was like... it was like breathing."

Kaelyn wanted to cry. She had always, _always_ been second-best to Molly. Even still, a week before her wedding. Those weren't the words she wanted to hear about her ex-best-friend from her current lover. The man she was supposed to marry in a week. "Like... breathing?"

"It was easy. I didn't have to think about it. But I didn't appreciate it either. It was so easy to leave her."

"Then why are you thinking about going back?"

He sighed. "Just in case. I only have this one shot to get it right, and what if we're wrong? What if I should have been with her?"

Kaelyn crossed her arms and leaned onto the counter between them. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do."

"What is it like, loving me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said loving Molly was like breathing. What about me?"

"Chocolate," he said after a while.

"Chocolate?"

"I don't need you like I needed her-"

"Thanks," she said and began to turn around. "If you need her more than you need me, it isn't too late to call it off, you know. Bad press, maybe, but that will go away eventually."

"Kaelyn! Let me finish! I don't need you like I needed her. But, like breathing, I took her for granted. You... I crave you, Kaelyn. I can't get enough of you. And, admittedly, sometimes you make me sick. But it's worth it to me. You're worth it."

"You're sure?"

"Mmhmm."

"Then come here and kiss me." Even as his mouth was against hers, she couldn't commit to the oblivion his kisses normally brought. Things hadn't resolved. Not really, and if they were going to get married in seven days, they would have a lot of things to figure out first. But Kaelyn was sure they would be worth it.


	10. Chapter 9 - But I Do

**Wedding-Day Odds**

_As of this morning, betting on the Kaesander wedding has officially closed. The social event of the season, which takes place this afternoon, included more than 5,000 bets registered at the two _Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes_ locations in Great Britain. The bets ran for everything imaginable - from the wedding colours to the wedding dress style, from the number of guests in attendance to the number who would pass out drunk by the end of the evening - nothing was off limits._

_In an interview with Kaelyn Finnigan yesterday afternoon, she agreed to whet our appetites with the results for one of the bets - the wedding colours. "We chose lavender and silver," she confides, "for our mothers. My mum is called Lavender and his is Luna - like the moon - and it seemed appropriate."_

_Betters tended to agree. The odds for lavender and silver were set at only 5 to 1. Other, more unconventional, choices included black and pink (at 300 to 1) and orange and purple (at 250 to 1)._

_After the wedding, a full list of wedding details will be published for those looking to collect. Attendance is estimated to be more than 400, including nearly all of Britain's A-list. The Minister for Magic himself, Percy Weasley, is expected to be present._

_Kaelyn and Lysander, both 23, have been together publicly for about nine months. Lysander is the lead singer of the band _Wizards and Wrackspurts_ and Kaelyn, the daughter of Seamus and Lavender Finnigan, is currently unemployed._

-Parvati Patil, senior correspondent to _Witch Weekly_

* * *

Something about three women in the same flat made it seem so much smaller. Though Molly would admit she enjoyed having Lucy nearby - and safe - there were too many hormones and tensions floating around their small flat. The week before the wedding was uncomfortable, but it passed relatively uneventfully.

The morning of the wedding was a different story.

"Molly! MOLLY!"

"_What_, Luce?"

"Have you seen my dress? Did I remember it? Did I leave it in Ireland?"

Molly stopped her own quest through her closet for a dress, turned to face her sister, and raised her wand. "_Accio_ Lucy's sexiest dress," she said monotonously.

A small piece of fabric came soaring from the back of the closet and landed on the bed. "Yeah. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Stress, I guess," Roxanne said from the doorway. "But you'd think that would be Molly's job. I keep a log for time she spends choosing outfits for first dates. It goes back to Hogwarts. Molly's third year."

"Can I see it?" Lucy asked enthusiastically.

Roxanne grinned. "Some other time. I have graphs and everything."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Please tell me you're exaggerating."

"Would that I were," her cousin teased. "Why _aren't_ you freaking out?"

"I've had weeks to plan my outfit. Bet you weren't logging _that_ time."

The girls were interrupted by a frantic knock on the door. Molly, who was most presentable, went to answer it. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

Percy straightened his already perfect dress robes. "You're going to the wedding, too, right? I thought we could all go together."

"Where's Mum?"

Percy sighed. "Still getting ready. I said I would pick you three up and then meet her back at our house."

Molly looked down at her wrinkled pyjamas and half-finished updo. "You honestly thought three women in one flat would get ready quicker? You're in for a long wait."

"I'll manage. But we had better still be on time. Polls open in two days, you know. Can't have the Minister late for his appointments, even if it _is_ just a wedding."

"Not everything is about your reelection," Molly said, but Percy didn't respond. Instead, he followed his daughter into her room, where Lucy was putting makeup on.

"Lucy Katherine Weasley! Tell me you aren't wearing that dress."

"I'm not wearing this dress," she said plainly, but made no attempt to change.

"Don't you take an attitude with me."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Dad. I'm wearing this dress."

Molly ignored the fairly commonplace exchange and set out her own top two choices, deciding on the teal one. Cut just above the knees, with a plunging neckline and fitted waist, it seemed the perfect choice. She pulled it carefully over her hair and turned to face the mirror. "Molly! You look incredible," Roxanne said.

Lucy turned around and surveyed her sister. "Yes. Absolutely fucking fantastic."

"Lucy-" Percy began to scold, but then took in his older daughter. "No. Absolutely not. It's far too low cut. We have an image to maintain."

"I'm twenty-three! _You_ have an image to maintain. I mean, I guess have one, too. The image of a beautiful, single young woman. I'm maintaining it." She walked straight past her father to the pile of makeup Lucy had spread out on their bedroom floor. "Pick a color for my eyes, sis?"

Lucy began to dig through her half-used collection of eyeshadows before pulling out a silver one. "Here you go."

"It's perfect," Roxanne agreed, joining them. She sat cross-legged in tracksuit bottoms and a sports bra, her hair in cornrows.

"Roxanne?"

"Yeah, Uncle Percy?"

"Why aren't you getting ready?"

She grinned. "I am ready. What are you talking about?"

"Tr- tracksuit bottoms," he stammered.

"Oh." She looked down. "These? You mean I should wear something nicer?"

"Perhaps."

"Bugger off," Lucy said. "We'll meet you at your house soon."

Percy's eyes narrowed. Molly was worried they would have a row equal to the one they had at the Quidditch match, and he seemed to be considering it. But apparently the desire to be on time and look pristine won over his desire to reprimand his children. "Fine." He turned on the spot and Disapparated.

* * *

"Zip me up?" Katie asked.

"What? Oh, right," Oliver said and got up from the bed. He held the top of her dress taut and zipped it up with the other hand, then went back to brooding. A wedding was the last thing he needed today.

Katie turned around, frowning. "You okay, Oliver?"

"What? I'm fine. Just fine. Why?"

"A dress unzipped to my bum and you don't even notice. That's unlike you, even at your most unobservant. What happened to flirting with me?"

"Huh? Well, I thought you didn't like it."

"I complain, yeah, but that's what you're supposed to do. Make me feel sexy before we head out."

"Right. Well. Did you see the paper? Percy's supposed to be there."

"You mean the _Witch Weekly _article? You read that?" Katie asked, laughing.

It had been a long time since Katie had interrogated him like this. Normally they were both just fine wrapped up in their own thoughts. He didn't enjoy her newfound sense of curiosity. "You left it open on the table and I was curious."

"Percy's going to be there. So what?"

"Daniel took up a post in Egypt two days after I told him Molly was using him. I know I'm thick as two short planks sometimes, but I can put two and two together. Percy always seems overprotective of his family in interviews. If he comes to talk to me-"

"Then you'll be dignified and remember how close you were at school."

"And the twenty-five years it's been since we spoke a civil word to each other."

Oliver sat down on their unmade bed while Katie spun in front of a mirror. Normally, watching her was enough to distract him from anything - even Quidditch. But not today. Thinking of Quidditch reminded him of Roxanne, whom he also wasn't looking forward to seeing. He had seen her fiery temper at work and didn't want to be on the receiving end of it. Surely she knew by now what he had done. She had probably exaggerated it, as well. She'd held her tongue well enough at practice over the past week, but taking away the professional barrier and meeting her informally - it was a risk he was scared to take.

He wasn't sure why they accepted the wedding invitation in the first place. There were so many people he didn't want to run into, and he didn't even know Kaelyn or Lysander very well. Despite the fact that Daniel had apparently dated Kaelyn during school. Daniel. "Katie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know if Daniel's going to the wedding?"

"He's in Egypt. I can't imagine him going." Of course not. Oliver wasn't sure how it could be differently. But it was his own fault, not Daniel's. Today wouldn't be a happy day for Oliver. He was aware of that. But maybe - just maybe - it could be a happy day for his son.

"Is he set up with the Floo network? There's something I need to make right."

Katie grinned. "I'll meet you at the wedding?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

The only thing Kaelyn was sure of as her friends buttoned the back of her dress in the dressing tent to one side of the gardens is that she and Lysander had spared no expense. Perhaps the hype of the papers got to her, or access to Lysander's nearly infinite supply of Galleons, but whatever she had paid the wedding coordinator was worth it. Even her dressing area was covered in softly twinkling fairy lights, with flowers floating in perfectly arranged bouquets at the corners.

A small white vanity was set up in a corner, and it made her feel like she grew up in a manor, rather than a farm in Ireland. Like her mother, she had always appreciated nice things, and she could get used to the life of comfort being married to Lysander would supply. What she wasn't sure about is whether everything else about marrying Lysander was good enough.

"Everything okay?"

"What? Oh, hi, Mum. Yeah, I'm doing all right."

"Butterflies in your stomach?"

Kaelyn laughed. "To say the least."

"I remember feeling that way when I married your dad." She began running a hand through Kaelyn's hair, which hung in loose curls down her back. The act reminded Kaelyn of childhood, of hours spent on her mum's lap as she played with her hair and told her stories.

"You did? But you and dad are perfect for each other."

"When I married him, I wasn't so sure about that. I didn't know if I was marrying him because I loved him or-" She cut herself off.

"Or what? You can't start a story without finishing it. House rules," Kaelyn said, grinning. It was a strange feeling, being brought back to her childhood on her wedding day, but it was comforting.

"He was the only man who told me I was beautiful after the battle. I wondered - if someone else had told me I was beautiful, would I have married him instead?"

"Did you ever figure it out?"

Lavender smiled. "No, I didn't. And I'm glad I didn't. However it happened, I'm glad it was your dad who pursued me. I can't imagine my life going differently than it did."

Kaelyn sighed and studied herself in the mirror. Her makeup was perfect. With the exception of her nose and eyes, which were clearly her father's, she looked like a picture of her mum at this age. Except without the scars. Her own scars were on the inside, but didn't everyone have those? "Mum?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

"That depends. Do you think you're making a mistake?"

"No, not really. I just worry - I think he's still in love with Molly."

Lavender conjured another chair and sat down beside her daughter. "He asked _you_ to marry him. He hasn't left you, even with everything that's happened recently."

"He can be a prat sometimes."

Lavender laughed. "He's a man. They're all prats, really. You can leave him if you think it's the right thing. And I'll support you. But if you're looking for someone who is perfect, you're looking for the wrong thing. Look for someone who's perfect for _you._ What do you love about him?"

Kaelyn could feel her eyes lighting up just thinking about it. "He's creative. And a complete goof sometimes, if I catch him off guard. I love the way he cares about his mother, even though she's…" Kaelyn searched for the right word.

"Luna?" her mum suggested.

"Yes. Even though she's Luna. On our good days, he takes care of me even better than that. He seems to absolutely adore me. But on our bad…" Kaelyn didn't feel like explaining their bad days, not exactly.

"Do you get through the fights?"

"Every time."

"Then I think you're doing the right thing." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "I have to go check on the seating arrangements for dinner. You'll be all right?"

"Yeah, I will. Thanks, Mum." With her bridesmaids busy with their own hair and makeup, Kaelyn felt substantively alone again, but she didn't have all of the confidence she pretended to for her mother. Molly Weasley was coming to her wedding. Her soon-to-be husband might still be in love with her ex-best-friend. And whatever happened? The press would be there to document every single moment.

Maybe fame with too high an asking price after all. But that didn't matter now; like with everything else in her life these days, she was already in too deep.


End file.
